Travel Agent Encourages Further Surcharge Cuts

Media Release
16 January 2007

Travel Agent Encourages Further Fuel Surcharge Cuts

Travel retailer Flight Centre has welcomed the news Qantas is reducing its fuel surcharges for tickets pruchased in Australia, but is calling for the airline industry in New Zealand to reassess their fuel surcharge levels.

Qantas has announced it will reduce its fuel surcharges on all domestic and transtasman flights from January 23 by $A5.

Flight Centre general manager Rick Hamilton said that while this may not seem like a huge amount, it was part of an incremental reduction in fares.

“We are starting to see a general pattern of fuel surcharge reductions, with a range of international carriers reducing prices over the past three months.

“We’d like to see this continue and even accelerate over the coming months on this side of the Tasman, particularly if the oil price drops further.”

Mr Hamilton said when New Zealanders saw prices coming down at the petrol pump, they expected this to be reflected in airfare prices also.

“We’d love to see an end to fuel surcharges altogether, but this may still be a while coming.”

ENDS

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