Originally Posted by
rubik101
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'?
Well one is that for short-haul carriers (eg EZY/FR) the proportion of overall costs that fuel accounts for is much smaller than for long-haul carriers (eg BA/VS).
Another is that different carriers take different approaches to whether they just adjust their base fares or stick on an additional entry elsewhere. Now I know that most (myself included) are just fed up of all the "extras" being added after you have seen the base price, but that is a different question altogether. And if the US DoJ want to go into this, the whole pervidious area of adding extras just before the final price is presented is one that has spread across to Europe (and indeed worldwide) from ...... yes, from the USA. The only country I know where you go into a shop, see something priced at $10, say "I will have it", and they say "Thank you, that will be $10.85". Oh, and you should try car rentals .......