British Airways to increase fuel surcharge

LONDON: British Airways says it will raise its fuel surcharge on all flights.

Prices for long-haul flights, those to destinations outside of Europe, booked after Friday will increase by 20-30 pounds (about US$40 to US$60; euro25 to euro38) per return trip, the company said in a statement on Tuesday.

With the increase, the total for the surcharges on BA flights lasting more than nine hours will be 158 pounds (about US$314; euro201) for the return trip.

The price of short-haul flights will increase by 6 pounds (about US$12; euro8) per return trip. That puts BA's surcharge for short-haul flights at 26 pounds (about US$52; euro33) per return.

BA says the increases reflect the high price of oil, which has flirted with US$120 a barrel in recent days.