The Mactan-Cebu International Airport. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
Plane fares are expected to become cheaper next month after the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) brought down the fuel surcharge for the first time since February.
In its latest advisory, CAB announced that the fuel surcharge for July would be Level 5. This was a decline from the current Level 6, which has been in effect for the past four months.
The last time the regulator implemented a Level 5 fuel surcharge was in February.
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Under Level 5, airlines are allowed to collect fuel surcharges of P151 to P542 for domestic flights while those flying outside the country will pay additional P498.03 to P3,703.11 each.
These prices are lower compared to Level 6 rates, which range from P185 to P665 for domestic routes and P610.37 to P4,538.40. for international flights.
Fuel surcharges are additional fees by airlines to help them recover fuel costs. These are separate from 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 be shelling out an additional P238 while those going to Iloilo, Cebu, Bacolod, and Puerto Princesa will pay a fuel surcharge of P316.
The applicable surcharge for flights to Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, Surigao, and Siargo will be P418 while flights to Zamboanga, Cotabato, and Davao, P487.
Passengers going to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Vietnam will pay an additional amount of P498.03 while those flying to China will be charged P676.20 on top of the base fare.
This reduction in plane fares is good news for travelers, vacationers and is expected to boost a lot of industries such as tourism among others.