Plane ticket prices set to soar in March as fuel surcharge hike looms

International passengers prepare to line up at the check-in counters of Mactan-Cebu International Airport Terminal 2. The Civil Aeronautics Board says plane tickets are set to get pricey in March after it hiked the fuel surcharge to Level 6 from Level 5. | Photo by Carlo Lorenciana

Passengers will soon pay higher prices for plane tickets as the fuel surcharge is set to increase next month.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) recently announced in an advisory that the fuel surcharge will rise from Level 5 this month to Level 6 in March.

This was the first time the CAB raised the fuel surcharge level this year after two consecutive downgrades.

Under Level 6, passengers on domestic flights will pay a fuel surcharge of P185 to P665 each while those flying abroad will be charged an additional P610.37 to P4,538.40 each.

These are more expensive than Level 5 rates: P151 to P542 for domestic flights and P498.03 to P3,703.11 for international routes.

Fuel surcharges are additional fees charged by airlines to recover their fuel costs. These are on top of the base fare, which is the actual amount paid by the passenger for his or her seat.

Next month, passengers flying from Manila to Caticlan, Legaspi, Kalibo and Roxas will pay a fuel surcharge of P292 while those going to Iloilo, Bacolod, Tacloban and Puerto Princesa will be charged P388.

Applicable fuel surcharge for flights from Manila to Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, Surigao and Siargao is P513; and to Zamboanga, Cotabato and Davao, P598. Those booking Manila-General Santos and Clark-Davao flights will shell out an additional P665.

Passengers flying from the Philippines to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam will pay a fuel surcharge of P610.37 while those visiting China will be charged additional P828.73.

Airlines will be collecting fuel surcharge amounting to P844.16 from passengers flying to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia; P949.51, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea; and P2,100.23 for Australia and Middle East.

AirAsia Philippines recently reported that Boracay remains to be one of the most popular destinations for its customers.

Data shows that 250,000 guests have booked their flights to the island from February to May. The figure is about 72 percent ready of the total guests flown to Boracay last year.

“Boracay is top 3 in our most visited domestic destinations. It is not just the summer when we see an influx of guests flying to Boracay, but all year round,” AirAsia head of communications and public affairs Steve Dailisan said.

Cebu Pacific, meanwhile, received earlier this month its first aircraft delivery as it seeks to beef up the fleet to 92 jets before the year ends.

Last month, Philippine Airlines kicked off its domestic seat sale, offering one-way base fares for as low as P148.

READ MORE: Plane tickets to get cheaper in February

Cheaper plane tickets expected in February