British Airways beginning Friday will reduce fuel surcharges from £35 to £30 on long-haul flights per-way of less than nine hours, which include many flights to and from the eastern United States, the carrier said today.
The reduction will take hold on flights between Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia and London and Manchester, as well as other international destinations the carrier serves. British Airways, however, said it is maintaining fuel surcharges on flights of more than nine hours, including some destinations in the United States. Likewise, short-haul surcharges will remain at £8 per way.
The carrier cited recent drops in the cost of oil, which today stood below $54 per barrel, representing historic lows compared with recent years.
BA joins a host of international carriers that beginning in the second half of 2006 rolled back fuel surcharges as jet fuel costs crept downward. Those include Air France, Austrian Airlines, Czech Airlines, El Al, Lufthansa, KLM, Singapore, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic
(BTN, Oct. 23, 2006).