Virgin America Adds Fuel Surcharges
Effective immediately:
* $10 in short-haul markets: San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles
(LAX), SFO to San Diego (SAN), SFO to Las Vegas (LAS), SFO to
Seattle (SEA), LAX to SEA, SAN to SEA (connecting) and LAS to SEA
(connecting).
* $25 in all long-haul markets: SFO to New York (JFK), SFO to
Washington (IAD), LAX to JFK, LAX to IAD, JFK to SEA (connecting),
SEA-IAD (connecting), LAS-IAD (connecting), SAN to IAD
(connecting), JFK to SAN (connecting) and JFK to LAS (connecting).
They don't say so explicitly, but I think since they price their flights one way, this means $20-$50 round trip.
Press release included some unusually candid insight on their fuel costs:
Quote:
At current oil prices, the average fuel cost of transporting a passenger roundtrip on a Virgin America short-haul flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles is over $70. The same average cost on a Virgin America long-haul flight from San Francisco to New York is currently well over $300, which is $100 more than the cost in January 2008, and $130 more than the cost in July 2007.
"Even with one of the most fuel efficient fleets in the U.S., Virgin America is not immune to the unpredictability of the oil market. Consequently, we are diligently looking at all areas of our operation to help maintain our competitive fares and innovative, high-value service, while creating an internal structure that addresses fluctuating fuel costs," added Walke.
