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Home » Ryanair » Ryanair Slams Airline Fuel Surcharges
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Ryanair Slams Airline Fuel Surcharges

Matthew March 3, 2011 Leave a Comment

For all the publicity stunts they play, I just love it when Ryanair tells it like it is.

Promising "never" to charge fuel surcharges on their airline tickets, Ryanair lashed out at competitors today for what it calls "rip off" and "scam" pricing. It is true that oftentimes a ticket price will more than double in cost when fuel surcharges are added in and these surcharges are often disguised as government taxes. And with oil on the rise again, look to see even higher fuel surcharges in the months to come.

While I appreciate Ryanair’s showcasing of the fuel surcharge controversy (it’s even worse in America where law does not require the full price of a ticket to be displayed, allowing airlines to get away with advertising fares that are as little as a third of what the a/i price is), I find it curious that they are crying wolf when they have pioneered the practice of added fees to airlines ticket.

That €7 ticket you see advertised from Ryanair is invariably going to set you back a lot more than €7. Taxes? Sometimes included, but often not and when not included, they can quickly double or triple the cost of the ticket. Online check-in? €6.99 each way. Processing fee? €5 each way to use anything other than a prepaid MasterCard to pay for your ticket. Bag check? €40. Skis? Don’t ask.

As I mentioned above, at least Ryanair explicitly discloses these fees when your purchase a ticket, unlike fuel surcharges which are often wrapped into a "taxes and fees" line of the ticket that is not broken down on most airline booking websites.

I got a chuckle today when I read this story because it seems like such hypocrisy on the part of Ryanair, but I am glad someone is highlighting that most airline base fares today are very deceiving.

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About Author

Matthew

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 120 countries over the last decade. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BBC, Fox News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Al Jazeera, Toronto Star, and on NPR. Studying international relations, American government, and later obtaining a law degree, Matthew has a plethora of knowledge outside the travel industry that leads to a unique writing perspective. He has served in the United States Air Force, on Capitol Hill, and in the White House. His Live and Let's Fly blog shares the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs and promotions, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel. His writings on penandpassport.com offer more general musings on life from the eyes of a frequent traveler. He also founded awardexpert.com, a highly-personalized consulting service that aids clients in the effective use of their credit card points and frequent flyer miles. Clients range from retirees seeking to carefully use their nest egg of points to multinational corporations entrusting Matthew with the direction and coordination of company travel.

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