pie-eater 207 Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 I just got a quote for a flight to the UK next February. Ticket - 65000 yen Fuel surcharge - 59000 yen Thats just getting plain ridiculous. Is there any fuel included in the "ticket" charge, or is that just a fuel-less plane? I asked if the surcharge was going to be lowered and she said maybe in the New Year (for the airlines that go where I want). Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 What you have to remember is that plan companies don't buy the fuel on the day, more often than not, they lock themselves into contracts with the suppliers for months, if not years, on end, to fix the fuel prices if they go up, but likewise if they go down, they have to pay. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted November 21, 2008 Author Share Posted November 21, 2008 Is this amazing piece of economic concept new then? I don't remember paying any 15 years ago. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted November 21, 2008 Share Posted November 21, 2008 Hmm - kinda. It all started when prices started going up a few years back. Link to post Share on other sites
sunrise 0 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Interestingly enough the fuel charges when buying tickets in yen from here seem to be higher than from other countries. Case in point, I had a flight to Oz in mid Sept on Qantas miles and the fuel/taxes to Oz was less than $200 one way. When I arrived back in mid Oct, I got an email from Qantas, or maybe it was Jetstar advertising cheap flights from Japan to Oz, with fuel/taxes of 60,000 yen plus. I'm sure this wasn't due to the lower A$, since I didn't book my return flight to Japan (when I was charged the fuel/taxes) until a few days before I departed, and I got the email ad only a few days after I'd returned. I'm thinking of writing to Qantas to ask them why they're charging higher surcharges to people paying in yen. (on topic - in the ad the ticket price was separate to the charges). Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Jetstar has some 'cheap' internal flights here. The advertised price= No luggage, no drinks, no food, no taxes. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Any fuel included Mantas? Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 its a bit mad isnt it. theyll be asking us to bring our own seats along next. Link to post Share on other sites
iiyamadude 6 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 I'd take my cool black reclining swivel chair! Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Originally Posted By: RobBright What you have to remember is that plan companies don't buy the fuel on the day, more often than not, they lock themselves into contracts with the suppliers for months, if not years, on end, to fix the fuel prices if they go up, but likewise if they go down, they have to pay. That's true, but I doubt the airlines are playing only one side of the oil market. They'll probably have leveraged bets on the price going in the opposite direction as insurance. Such hedges cost money, but save them from getting seriously burned. Some of those taxes will be the UK long-haul tax. 40 quid was it? Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted November 22, 2008 Author Share Posted November 22, 2008 Quote: Some of those taxes will be the UK long-haul tax. 40 quid was it? No, I was quite specific. The UK tax was extra as well. The fuel tax ALONE was 59000 yen. Asked twice to make sure. The total came to something like 145-150000 yen (can't remember the total). Link to post Share on other sites
fukdane 2 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Perhaps we'll end up just paying a token something for the beef or chicken, small cans of coke, beer and bottles of wine and paying just for fuel. And you'll need to pay to use the toilets. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Originally Posted By: Mantas Jetstar has some 'cheap' internal flights here. The advertised price= No luggage, no drinks, no food, no taxes. Yeah Jetstar are the Aussie Ryanair Link to post Share on other sites
Ezorisu 0 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 It's a "surcharge", so it's supposed to cover the difference between the current fuel price and the price of fuel when the fare was originally authored. Supposedly many (not all) airlines are lowering or discontinuing the surcharge now that fuel prices have dropped, but travellers probably won't see the benefits until around the xmas/New Year holidays. Even if they drop the fuel surcharge, the airlines that currently nickel-ane-dime you for each bag and whatever crappy food they serve will continue to ream you on those charges! Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted November 22, 2008 Share Posted November 22, 2008 Originally Posted By: muikabochi Any fuel included Mantas? Yes but you have to fill the tank yourself. These budget airlines are still bloody cheap. My mate picked up some tickets for his family. Sydney-Tokyo return for $600 Aus. inc. taxes. That's about $600 cheaper than the next cheapest airline. I think I could pack my own lunch and drinks for $600. Link to post Share on other sites
tinmachine 0 Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 I'm not interested in the food. I usually hardly touch it anyway, it being goddam awful and all. It will be interesting to see how quick they are to reduce the crazy in the sky fuel surcharges though seeing as though the price has reduced so much in the last 3-4. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 I doubt it will tinmachine- as I said the companies tend to be tied up to these contracts, with little, or none, room to manoeuvre around with the prices. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 Originally Posted By: pie-eater Quote: Some of those taxes will be the UK long-haul tax. 40 quid was it? No, I was quite specific. The UK tax was extra as well. The fuel tax ALONE was 59000 yen. Asked twice to make sure. The total came to something like 145-150000 yen (can't remember the total). Whoa! that's really dear then. I think sunrise is onto something with flights being more expensive if bought in Japan at the moment. Possibly the airlines haven't adjusted their yen prices in keeping with the currency movements yet. For KLM to the UK in October we were ripped for 129,000 yen. Their flights quoted in pounds the other way around are well below 850 pounds. More like 550-600. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted November 23, 2008 Author Share Posted November 23, 2008 Is there any way to buy the return Tokyo <> Manchester <> Tokyo in the UK rather than buying it here? Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 That just sounds wrong! Totally unfair. I had been waiting for us to get the shoulder tap from Qantas for our European flights in December and Janaury - especially hearing everyone here getting added fuel surcharges - but we have had nothing. No extra's added when the oil price was skyrocketing and no discounts when it was dropping. Just a fixed price ticket done and dusted - the way I like it! I thought we might be in for trouble because we are code sharing on about 4 different airlines - but still no problem. When filling my cars tank has gone from in excess of $100 AUD from empty two months ago, to just over $60 AUD at last fill last week (when I was teaching my L-plate son to fuel up - awww) I can not see how you can now be hit with this massive fuel surchage for an airtrip, except for massive mismanagement by an airline fuel buyer! Condolences. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 From KLM's UK and Japanese websites Dec 11 to Dec 17/19 (cheapest dates thereabout chosen) Tokyo - London - Tokyo Cheapest fare= 134,000 yen Dec 11 to Dec 17/19 (cheapest dates thereabout chosen) London - Tokyo - London Cheapest fare=536 UKP (=80,000 yen) Its low season both ways, but the Japanese fare is 70% more. When we booked our flight, the pound was about 200, so it wasn't so noticeable. Link to post Share on other sites
minus 1 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 They need to get that sorted. Funny how it takes longer to bring prices down than it does to rise them. Or am I just imagining that? Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 I think prices in Japan have not yet been adjusted to the newly strong yen. For example, I wanted to buy some coffee beans at the weekend. I was thinking 'prices must be down a lot now the yen is so strong' but I found prices were exactly the same as 6 months ago! Surely anything imported should now be much cheaper to buy? Same goes for the airline tickets. I need to buy some tix for march but I think I will hang on until Jan to buy because I think the new fuel charge and strong yen needs to be factored into prices. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Just as they needed gov approval for the fuel surcharge, the airlines are now getting approval to reduce the surcharge. Slow gov beaurocrats. Link to post Share on other sites
brit-gob 9 Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 Why would they need approval to reduce a charge? Link to post Share on other sites
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