AirAsia Malaysia brings back fuel surcharge for new flight bookings made from 8 March

AirAsia Malaysia has announced that it will start charging fuel surcharge for new AK flight bookings beginning next Tuesday 8th March 2022 for all domestic and international flights. According to the low-cost carrier, the fuel surcharge is required to offset escalating jet fuel prices which have exceeded USD 120 (about RM501) per barrel, and it hopes to be a temporary measure.

For all domestic flights within Malaysia, AirAsia will charge RM10 extra for fuel surcharge. For international flights, the airline is charging between RM25 to RM60 depending on the duration of the flight. AirAsia has emphasised that existing flight bookings or new bookings made before 8th March 2022 will not be affected. The extra charge for fuel surcharge is only applicable for new flight bookings made on and after 8th March 2022.

AirAsia says they have not been charging fuel surcharging since it was abolished in 2015. It added that they have been absorbing the oil price increase over the years, while other airlines were already adjusting their fares and increasing fuel and admin charges to counter the rising operating costs as early as 2018.

AirAsia had first introduced a fuel surcharge in 2005 and it was abolished in 2008. It was reintroduced in 2011 and was eventually removed in 2015 after jet fuel prices drop to around USD 48 (about RM200) per barrel that year.

AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said, “Since we last abolished fuel surcharges in 2015 when the global fuel price was as low as US$48 a barrel, we have faced numerous occasions when the fluctuations have caused other airlines to start imposing surcharges. However, at AirAsia, we have been absorbing past increases in oil prices to continue to provide the best value to our guests. Unfortunately, the current situation where the oil price has shot up more than 160% than what it was in 2015 has made it no longer sustainable.”

He added, “We hope this will only be a temporary measure. AirAsia will continue to ensure our fares remain as low as possible despite the fuel surcharge while other carriers were already adjusting fares and increasing fuel and admin charges to counter rising operating costs as early as 2018. Even when faced with the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, we still managed to deflect the rising operational costs and continued to offer low fares to the people.”

In case you missed it, AirAsia Malaysia has also started phasing out check-in counter services for regular customers from 1st April to get everyone to check in digitally. This means passengers will have to check-in via their AirAsia app and use their self-baggage drop facility. Check-in counters will still be available for eligible guests which include senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and passengers who are having issues with their app or kiosks.

[ SOURCE ]

Related reading

• AirAsia to phase out check-ins counters for most passengers in Malaysia from 1st April, here’s why
• Tony Fernandes tells SEA govts to be brave as ‘closed borders aren’t logical anymore’
• BigPay introduces fully digital personal loans with instant approval. Here’s a quick preview
• AirAsia Malaysia brings back fuel surcharge for new flight bookings made from 8 March