Air holidays have become more expensive as a result of higher fuel prices, travel organization TUI reports. It is still an increase to a “limited extent”, reports a spokesperson. “And to what extent the price increases also differs per destination; Europe or a distant destination.” Concrete amounts cannot be mentioned, because the price of a flying holiday depends on several factors, such as supply and demand.
Transavia also states that it sees the effects of the war in Ukraine and is doing everything it can to keep the travel as affordable as possible for the “ordinary Dutch person”. Both TUI and Transavia do not rule out the possibility that people who have already booked will have to pay extra afterwards. This is a fuel surcharge. At the moment, however, that is not the case, it is reported. “Part of the required fuel has already been purchased, the so-called hedging, but this does not cover the entire amount of fuel required for next summer,” says TUI. Transavia: “additional tax is not what we want, but it could be a consequence.”
Travel organizations Corendon and Sunweb have announced that they will not issue an additional tax assessment for people who have already booked. For Sunweb, the prices will also remain the same this year, regardless of whether you still have to book, because “all agreements with the partners have already been set”.
According to TUI, the demand for holidays has been high in recent months, but that growth is slowing down slightly. “That can have various causes; Due to the sharp rise in fuel prices, the travel costs are somewhat higher and there is uncertainty about the energy bill for households and the situation in Ukraine.” According to the travel organization, it is too early to make any concrete statements about this.
KLM says in a response that fuel prices are "very dynamic" and that airlines often hedge against price fluctuations for this reason. However, sharply rising oil prices could lead to an increase in ticket prices. But according to KLM, that depends on market developments. The airline also emphasizes that it is not just possible to raise prices on all flights, also in view of the competitive pressure.
Also read: Carpooling as an alternative to expensive fuel prices
