The fuel surcharge game played by airlines is but another excuse to gut their costs at the expense of their customers -- including at the expense of those with negotiated corporate contracts; including at the expense of frequent flyer program customers -- and to make it faster and easier for the airlines to adjust a bunch of fares much faster at lower cost.
Current commodity prices are just an excuse, as becomes clear given the stickiness of the approach and/or levels even when a factor commodity price drops 30-50% in real and sometimes even in nominal terms from a given benchmark record.
Originally Posted by
CanuckOnFire
And yes, this really is bad news for all of us.
Indeed for those whose material engagement with the airline and approach to these developments are primarily from a consumer perspective rather than weighed down by material engagement -- past, present or prospective -- with the airline as an airline/program shareholder/supplier/employee or relative of such.