I was not suggesting that the money taken from the paying customer of BA, and Virgin come to that, should end up in the Brown Bag, never to be seen again. I am suggesting that they not have been robbed in the first place.
If ALL competing airlines decided to impose a fuel surcharge, all well and good. So how is it that airlines like Ryanair and easyjet have managed to survive, and record profits, without feeling the need to impose a so called 'fuel surcharge'?
The joke is that an ill conceived attempt to raise prices using the spurious excuse of fuel price rises has since backfired on those that dreamed up the idea. Fuel price rises are always a reason to adjust ticket prices. This was simply a ploy to shift blame for the rise in ticket prices onto the oil industry/market. Why were they not just honest and raised the prices in the normal way? It was all about marketing and public perceptions, it's called spin and it's infectous and the public see it for what it is, a scam.
The two ex members of the board who were responsible, so we are led to believe, have taken the blame. I am sure Rod Eddington should also avoid Disneyland Florida for the forseeable future. He is equally culpable.
I only mentioned the news article because it seems so ironic that they should be so keen to be fully prosecuted in this country to avoid prosecution in the US. I have a feeling that the US DoJ will simply bide their time and then lodge a prosecution anyway. Look at Enron.
Whichever way you look at it, it is a shambles, economics 101 or not.
£350 might only be the start of it if the US get their teeth into it.
If you work for BA, don't expect the company to fill your pension deficit any time soon.