Aeroflot has again increased the so-called fuel surcharge on its routes. The changes apply to all routes except those to Japan and Korea (as well as routes to CIS countries, where there is no surcharge). The increase applies to tickets sold starting March 26 for flights operated by Aeroflot and its subsidiaries Rossiya and Aurora, reports Travel.ru.
On domestic routes in Economy Class, the surcharge will increase from 1,500 to 1,865 rubles per flight segment, in addition to the base fare and other fees (on the Moscow-Yakutsk route, from 3,000 to 3,365). On short- and medium-haul international routes, the surcharge will increase from 42 to 51 euros per segment, and on long-haul routes, from 93 to 106 euros. Business Class fares are double that. Fuel surcharges are waived on routes to cities in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
It's worth noting that this surcharge has long since had no bearing on the fuel component of the ticket price and exists for purely commercial purposes. Specifically, the so-called "fuel surcharge" allows airlines to sharply reduce the benefits of frequent flyer programs, reduce child and other discounts, minimize agent commissions, and advertise supposedly low fares that bear no relation to the actual ticket price.
Some of these practices have long been banned in a number of foreign countries, and many Asian countries explicitly regulate the possibility of charging fuel surcharges solely based on current oil prices. However, Russian aviation authorities turn a blind eye to all of this and, as usual, avoid protecting passenger rights.
In particular, Aeroflot has never reduced its so-called "fuel surcharge" in response to falling oil prices. These surcharges are now much higher than they were during the high fuel prices of several years ago. Several years ago, Aeroflot (like some other Russian airlines) stopped refunding the fuel surcharge upon return of non-refundable tickets, effectively declaring that it has no bearing on the cost of jet fuel and is simply a hidden component of the fare.
This new increase, which Aeroflot has not yet explained, will further reduce the value of the Aeroflot Bonus loyalty program. Now, a roundtrip award ticket on the vast majority of direct domestic routes will require, in addition to the mileage value, an additional fee of approximately 4,000 rubles in economy class and approximately 7,500 rubles in business class. Connecting domestic routes will cost twice as much. A roundtrip award ticket from Moscow to Europe or the Middle East (or from St. Petersburg to other destinations on Rossiya Airlines flights) will cost approximately 9,000-11,000 rubles in economy class and approximately 16,000-18,000 rubles in business class. From other Russian cities to Europe, it will cost approximately 13,000-15,000 rubles in economy class and 24,000-27,000 rubles in business class. Passengers purchasing a round-trip award ticket from Moscow on long-haul routes will have to shell out, in addition to a substantial number of miles, approximately 15,000-19,000 in economy class and approximately 30,000-35,000 in business class; connecting long-haul flights will cost even more.
In other words, in many cases, premium tickets will simply be pointless. Furthermore, the effective discount on children's tickets will be reduced again. Regular tickets will also become more expensive in most cases. Passengers wishing to purchase tickets at current prices are advised to do so before midnight between March 25 and 26.
Source: travel.ru
