Flying out of Hong Kong proving to be an expensive business for travellers as airlines impose fuel tax to cover rising cost of oil
- Airlines can now charge whatever they want after fee was reintroduced on November 1
- However, some have opted not to do so in attempt to undercut opposition
Travellers flying out of Hong Kong International Airport are being charged as much as HK$1,624 (US$207) extra by airlines after a fuel surcharge fee was reintroduced on November 1.
A review of ticket prices by the Post has found that almost half of the airlines operating out of the city have added the tariff to the cost of a flight, to cover the rising cost of oil.
The Civil Aviation Department, the industry regulator, announced in late September that airlines would be given free rein to charge whatever they liked on fuel surcharges, without seeking approval from the authorities.
The Post reviewed all 84 passenger airlines flying out of Hong Kong and of those, 36 had added the fee, 36 had not yet done so or opted not to, while the remaining 12 did not provide a breakdown of ticket costs.
Garuda Indonesia’s fee was the highest, with the carrier adding HK$1,624 on top of the ticket only price.
