AURIGNY fares will rise by about 5% within the next two weeks because of the increased cost of fuel.
Crude hit a record high over the weekend as its biggest ever one-day hike took it up $10 to $139 a barrel. This coincided with a dollar slump, plummeting share values on Wall Street and US unemployment suffering its biggest rise in 20 years.
Aurigny commercial director Malcolm Coupar said the increases were regrettable. ‘Customers should be aware that due to the current level of oil prices, we are in the process of reviewing our fares and we expect there to be increases within two weeks,’ he said.
He confirmed the rise would be in the region of 5% on all flights.
‘We suggest that if anyone has any planned trips that they have yet to book, they should take advantage of our prices while they are at the current level,’ he said.
‘We regret this move, but because of the current economic climate, many companies will
be reviewing their pricing policies.
‘However, we still feel that we offer a comprehensive and affordable service for the people of the Channel Islands.’
Crude has risen by 40% during the past year and experts have predicted it could hit $150 a barrel by next month and $200 within the next 18 months.
A spokeswoman for Blue Islands said it, too, would be introducing a small increase on its longer flights, as well as operating a reduced inter-island service.
‘Rather than put up ticket prices between Guernsey and Jersey, Blue Islands is taking out two or three of its daily vectors operated between the islands by combining flights and thereby reducing the airline’s usage of fuel,’ she said.
The airline has reduced its number of inter-island flights to 170 per week.
‘Other longer-distance routes will have small increases added to fares to meet the rising costs of fuel,’ she said.
‘We don’t know how much the increases will be yet because the financial director has not decided.’
A Flybe spokeswoman said: ‘Flybe is not surprised that Aurigny has had to introduce increased fares in the teeth of record fuel prices. ‘Aurigny has struggled to break even for some time and will find these difficult times increasingly challenging.’
Article posted on 10th June, 2008 - 2.30pm
6 Article Comments
Having read the article on the front page of the Guernsey Press, regarding the increase in air fares due to spiralling oil prices. I read Aurigny explaining their reasons for the rise. I then read Blue Islands explaining their reasons for the rise. I read both airlines explaining what they are going to do to minimise future increases. I then read FlyBE’s “comment”. Guernsey Press, come on… Did you ask FlyBE for a comment on possible increases, or did you ask them to make derogatory remarks about Aurigny? Nowhere in their “comment” does it tell me what they are going to do (however I suspect that their increases will not onl involve fares, but increases in the many other charges that they force passengers to pay). Aurigny may not be as big as FlyBE, but I would choose them anyday. You did not ask them for a comment on their rivals financial performance, so why print their response, which seemed to focus on this?
I look forward to reading in detail a response from FlyBE over the next few days, and trust your reporters are capable and willing to obtain one on the matter in hand which is – how much more will Guernsey travellers be asked to pay in light of the increased oil prices.
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Well said mark, Aurigny are a far superiour airline,Sooner they realise this the better,May be they should concern themselves with providing decent aircarft which dont put flight deck/ pax to sleep!!!!!!!!!
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On checking flybe’s website it seems they have already made some sneaky changes to their “stealth prices”: baggage charges are now an unbelievable £7.99 per piece (weren’t they £2.50 when they introduced them about two years ago?) or £12 if you don’t pay in advance and £9 per kilo for excess, and credit card charges have risen to £2.99 per person per flight with a minimum charge of £5.50 for a one way flight!
Book a flybe flight at your peril!
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I avoid Flybe like the plague; I can never be sure what I’ll end up paying for the privilege of flying with them! With the rocketing price of oil I will stick to good old Aurigny – at least I’ll know what it’ll cost in advance!
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I agree with the above posters but I don’t see Flybe as being at all unique in their rip-off charges.
I just booked a couple of flights with Aurigny and was delighted to find that I had been charged the following:
£10 air passenger duty (fair enough)
£3.00 for paying by VISA
£2 seat assignment charge
£12.10 customer service charge (my personal favourite…)
If they had lumped all of these charges together under the banner of ‘taxes and charges’ or just included them in the fare, I probably wouldn’t have cared, or indeed noticed. Are they trying to irritate customers by showing them exactly how much they’re being ripped off? A Guernsey Press and a glass of orange juice does not cost £12.10.
Flying to and from Guernsey is becoming really painful, especially on a student budget like mine. It makes me feel like staying in the UK during the holidays — in fact, it makes me feel like staying in the UK altogether. It’s a shame the States aren’t ensuring value for money from Aurigny as they should have done when they became involved in the whole racket.
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tom.martin: if you recheck the flight availability and the amount shown, you will notice that the taxes are already included and the follow up screen showing air passenger duty and customer service charges is just a breakdown of the total shown on the previous screen. Both taxes, air passenger duty and customer service charge are actually airport and government taxes and not a surcharge the airline can keep.
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