FuelClub Discount

Hawaiian Airlines has adopted a $20 increase each way in its fuel surcharge for flights between Hawaii and the mainland, including its service to San Jose.

The company cited the continuing escalation in fuel costs resulting from record-level oil prices as the reason behind the fuel surcharge increase. Hawaiian raised its fuel surcharge between Hawaii and the mainland to $100 from $65 on May 27. The latest increase brings the fuel surcharge to $120.

“The relentless rise in fuel costs leaves us with no choice but to pass some of these increasing costs on to the consumer,” Keoni Wagner, Hawaiian’s vice president of public affairs, said in a news release.
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Virgin Blue is considering charging passengers more to check in luggage in a bid to recoup costs as fuel prices continue to skyrocket.

The airline’s CEO, Brett Godfrey, hinted yesterday a fee for check-in baggage was imminent.

“With checked bag screening and the amount of security and handling of a bag, a bag actually costs more to put through on to the aeroplane than it does a passenger,” he said.
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As rising fuel prices propel air fares toward the stratosphere, most travelers would like nothing better than to see a new low-cost carrier with rock-bottom ticket prices.

Better reserve that idea for sometime in the future.

While past recessions have spawned ultra-cheap airlines, experts say the triple-digit oil prices that are pushing air travel out of reach for average Americans also will almost certainly keep a no-frills carrier from entering the market any time soon.

“When the economy is bad, it’s often a good time for startups because (out-of-work) pilots want to work, planes can be acquired for very little and people are wanting to pinch pennies,” said Alan Bender, professor of airline economics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

“But with fuel prices being what they are, I believe that kills the whole notion.”
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