autumnleaf
Registered User
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- 38
On the radio this morning, Michael O'Leary guaranteed that Ryanair would never introduce a fuel surcharge. But if the price of fuel continues to rise, surely this has to be passed onto the customer somehow if the airline is to continue to make a profit?
I realise that airlines are not as vulnerable to price updates as, say, petrol pumps. They can buy in bulk when the price is low and they don't pay any tax on fuel. But if there are no "dips" in the price of oil, it will catch up with them eventually given the large volume of fuel involved.
I suspect that the baggage charges are at least partially a response to rising oil prices. Not only do they get extra money from passengers, but they encourage travelling light which means less weight and less fuel required to lift the weight. So Ryanair already has a fuel surcharge - it just calls it by a different name.
I realise that airlines are not as vulnerable to price updates as, say, petrol pumps. They can buy in bulk when the price is low and they don't pay any tax on fuel. But if there are no "dips" in the price of oil, it will catch up with them eventually given the large volume of fuel involved.
I suspect that the baggage charges are at least partially a response to rising oil prices. Not only do they get extra money from passengers, but they encourage travelling light which means less weight and less fuel required to lift the weight. So Ryanair already has a fuel surcharge - it just calls it by a different name.