China travellers reconsider flights as high oil prices see fuel surcharge surge tenfold
- Some fuel surcharges on domestic flights in China are now nearly as much as the base fare of the flight itself
- High-speed-rail trips appear to be increasing in popularity as China’s budget travellers look to save money, but flights are still preferred for long-haul trips
With the rising cost of oil pushing up fuel surcharges on China’s domestic flights tenfold in the span of just five months, some budget travellers are deciding that flying is strictly for the birds.
In some cases, the unprecedented surcharges are nearly as much as the base fare of the flight itself, prompting people to seek out other modes of transport, such as high-speed rail.
Since July 5, the additional fuel charges for domestic flights up to 800km (500 miles) have reached 100 yuan (US$15) per passenger. And the surcharge for longer domestic flights reached 200 yuan.
As a result, there has been an outpouring of complaints by travellers such as Peng Sien, a recent university graduate who purchased a ticket for a 900km flight from Chengdu, Sichuan province, to Changsha, Hunan province, for an internship.
It was not until after she had completed the booking that she noticed surcharges cost her an additional 250 yuan on top of the 259-yuan base fare.
In addition to the 200-yuan fuel surcharge tacked onto her long flight, the excess fees included a standard airport maintenance charge of 50 yuan.
“Even though I knew the charge was legal, I still felt cheated,” Peng said. “After all, there had never been such an expensive surcharge on previous fares.”
After being waived on all domestic routes over the previous two years, the fuel surcharge was reinstated in February. It started at just 10-20 yuan but has increased at a record rate over the past five months, corresponding with the increasingly high price of international oil prices during the year’s first half.