Airfares to go down in May

MANILA –  Prices of  plane tickets are expected to go down in May as the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) lowered the fuel surcharge for the period.

In an advisory on Monday, the CAB announced it had brought down the fuel surcharge to Level 5 in May—the lowest so far this year—from Level 6 this month.

The price adjustment came at a time when mobility is projected to pick up as travelers go on their summer getaways to cool off.

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 P238 in fuel surcharge while those going to Iloilo, Cebu, Bacolod and Puerto Princesa will pay P316.

The applicable surcharge for flights to Dumaguete, Tagbilaran, Surigao and Siargao 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.

The surcharge to be collected for flights to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia will be P688.79; Indonesia, Japan and South Korea, P774.75; Australia and Middle East, P1,713.68; and New Zealand and Honolulu, 2,163.32.

On Monday, AirAsia Philippines said Boracay, Bohol, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, and Tacloban were the most visited spots by Filipinos and foreign guests from March 20 and April 16.

“Summer is a highly valued season in the Philippines, and it is during this time that we witness a rise in the number of tourists, especially to the famous tropical paradises with white-sand beaches. In the first few weeks, this trend becomes more evident,” said Steve Dailisan, the budget carrier’s communication and public affairs country head.

Cebu Pacific, meanwhile, also announced its P1 one-way base fare promo running from April 17 to 19. The travel period is from Aug 1 to March 31 next year.

Recently, flag carrier Philippine Airlines started offering the Manila-Perth nonstop flights.