Aer Lingus Fuel Surcharge is a €42M Rip-Off Says Ryanair

Ryanair - the only European airline to guarantee no fuel surcharges today, tomorrow or ever – today called on Aer Lingus to reverse its planned surcharge of €35 on long-haul flights from 15th May next.

Aer Lingus today claims that it cannot absorb these fuel price increases. This claim is patently dishonest when Aer Lingus are absorbing these fuel price increases on its short-haul business, which accounts for over 80% of Aer Lingus’s traffic. The travelling public must wonder why Aer Lingus is willing to absorb these higher fuel costs in the case of 80% of its passengers who fly short-haul, but decides to introduce an unjustified €35 fuel surcharge to fleece the 1.2m passengers flying long-haul for an extra €42m a year.

The reason why Aer Lingus can’t introduce fuel surcharges on its UK and European routes is because Ryanair guarantees no fuel surcharges. Aer Lingus has far less competition on long-haul routes, so it has decided instead to further gouge those same passengers who are already paying Aer Lingus’s highest air fares. This is clearly unjustified, when at the very same time Aer Lingus is absorbing higher oil prices in the case of short-haul tickets.

Highlighting this latest Aer Lingus rip-off, Ryanair’s Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary said:

“These fuel surcharges are just the latest €42m rip off from Aer Lingus. They claim that they can’t absorb these higher oil prices, yet they are absorbing them in the case of the 5.8 million of their passengers who are flying short-haul. Aer Lingus’s long-haul passengers are already paying their highest air fares, so there is no justification for adding €42m in extra fuel surcharges on these long-haul passengers either.

“Today’s latest rip-off from Aer Lingus confirms yet again that they only way Irish consumers can be sure of not paying fuel surcharges is to book Ryanair today, tomorrow and forever, because only Ryanair guarantees that there will be no fuel surcharges today, tomorrow or ever.”

source: Ryanair