No Evidence of Holiday Surcharges Despite Rising Fuel Costs – ITAA
The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) has confirmed that, despite ongoing global uncertainty and rising fuel costs linked to the Gulf region, there is currently no evidence of holiday surcharges being applied by Irish tour operators.
While the Package Travel Directive allows tour organisers to increase prices by up to 8% outside of 20 days prior to departure in response to factors such as fuel costs, ITAA members report that no such increases have been passed on to consumers to date.
The ITAA notes that the structure of the Irish travel market has evolved significantly in recent years, with most package holidays now based on scheduled airline services rather than charter flights, which were historically more vulnerable to fuel price fluctuations.
Tom Randles, President of the Irish Travel Agents Association, said, “At present, we are not seeing any evidence of fuel-related surcharges being applied to Irish holidaymakers. Airlines such as Ryanair and Aer Lingus have hedged their fuel costs, which is helping to stabilise prices in the short term. In addition, there is still strong seat availability across many routes, and airlines remain focused on filling capacity rather than increasing fares significantly.”
He added, “For consumers this presents an opportunity. Prices remain competitive, particularly for short-haul destinations, and we would advise those considering a holiday to book sooner rather than later to secure the best value.”
Popular destinations across the Western Mediterranean, including Spain and Portugal, continue to perform strongly. Meanwhile, the ITAA notes that pricing on transatlantic routes has, in many cases, become more competitive, offering particularly good value for those considering travel to the United States.
Long haul flight costs to destinations such as the Far East and Australia / New Zealand have increased. Quite often travellers will have paid a deposit for these flights rather than paid in full at time of booking This leaves them susceptible to a surcharge on the ticket cost.
The ITAA emphasised that while the situation remains under review, there is currently no indication of widespread price increases or surcharges impacting Irish consumers other than long haul destinations.
