(File photo by Cristina Arayata)
MANILA – The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) is encouraging air passengers to book tickets in advance and take advantage of the lower airfares in July due to the downgrade in fuel surcharge.
In a televised briefing on Wednesday, CAB Administrative Division officer in charge Clarabel Anne Lacsina said this is the first time since March that the country will be downgrading the fuel surcharge from Level 6 to Level 5, effective July 1 to 31.
Fuel surcharge is the extra fee that airlines may collect in addition to the base fare to help them cover fuel costs.
Under Level 5, the fuel surcharge for a one-way domestic flight ranges from PHP151 to PHP542, and from PHP498.03 to PHP3,703.11 for a one-way international flight, depending on the distance.
"We base the fuel surcharge on the jet fuel prices in the global market, as well as the peso-dollar exchange rate," Lacsina said.
Tickets bought in July can be used for future travels.
Due to the volatility of jet fuel prices, it would be hard to predict if the fuel surcharge could be maintained at Level 5 or if it would have to be increased for the succeeding months, Lacsina said.
She added that there was a big boost in the air travel sector, noting that there were 7.4 million domestic flights and 6.9 million international flights in the first quarter of 2024.
These figures are bigger than the passenger volume in the same period last year, she said, without citing the 2023 numbers. (PNA)
