At a time of overpriced onions, there remain rare spots of good news. On Monday, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) announced the airline fuel surcharge would be lowered to Level 6 starting 1 Feb 2023. In layman’s terms: Cheaper plane tickets for everyone!
In the previous month, the airline fuel surcharge was set to Level 7, following the average jet fuel price of ₱41.50 per litre. But after the jet fuel price decreased to ₱38.92 per litre from 10 Dec 2022 to 9 Jan 2023, the CAB also moved to downgrade the airline fuel surcharge for the coming month.
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Lower airline fuel surcharge means cheaper airfare
Under Level 6 of the CAB matrix, passengers will be charged ₱185 to ₱665 for airline fuel surcharge for domestic flights in February 2023. Meanwhile, international travellers will have to pay ₱610.37 to ₱4,538.40, depending on the flight length.
Last month, the fuel surcharge cost ₱219 to ₱739 for domestic flights and ₱722.71 to ₱5,373.69 for international flights.
“Airlines wishing to impose or collect fuel surcharge for the same period must file its application with this Office on or before the effectivity period, with fuel surcharge rates not exceeding the above-stated level,” CAB Executive Director Carmelo L. Arcilla noted on the advisory.
What to expect in the coming months
Notably, airline fuel surcharges have decreased since December, implying cheaper airfares for travellers. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and AirAsia Philippines welcome the downgrading of the fuel surcharge.
Fuel surcharges peaked in August 2022, following the average jet fuel price of ₱54.73 per litre from 10 Jun to 9 Jul 2022. Under Level 12, the fuel surcharge cost ₱389 to ₱1,137 for domestic flights and ₱1,284 to ₱9,550.13 for international flights.
The downgrading of the fuel surcharge rates followed after a number of international destinations lifted their travel restrictions for Filipinos. Hopefully, as this trend continues, air travel will only become more affordable in the coming months.
Also read: 15 Overseas Destinations Filipinos Can Travel To Under ₱20k Budget
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Featured image credit: LPETTET via Canva Pro
