Are Fuel Surcharges on Award Tickets a GOOD Thing??

One Mile at a Time thinks Delta’s new fuel surcharges on frequent flyer awards are actually a good thing.

There is something of a point here: if fuel surcharges were inevitable, then Delta’s move really isn’t bad — $$50 internationally is less than the fuel surcharges one normally sees on paid tickets, so it could have been much worse… like $100 each way. Now the fuel surcharges could go up later, but it should take awhile, and other airlines aren’t likely to go full out when Delta has laid down its marker at the $50 price point.

I do think this is bad, it’s a terrible precedent, and the fuel surcharges are likely to spread to other carriers and eventually go up. But as lucky points out, it could have been worse.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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