The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) announced that the fuel surcharge for May 1 to 15 was set at Level 18, slightly down from Level 19 for the April 16 to 30 period.

The CAB is implementing a shorter period of 15 days, from one month, for fuel surcharge level adjustment as an interim and temporary measure amid high volatility in fuel prices to allow faster response to market changes to cushion its impact and manage increasing costs.

Under Level 18, passengers will be paying P593 to P1,734 in fuel surcharges for domestic flights, depending on the flight distance, while for international flights originating from the Philippines, the surcharge ranges from P1,958.44 to P14,561.87.

Meanwhile, under the current Level 19, the passenger fuel surcharge ranges between P627 and P1,824 for domestic flights, while for international flights, the surcharge ranges from P2,070.77 to P15,397.15.

Fuel surcharge is an optional fee, apart from the base fare, that airlines may pass on to passengers to recover costs incurred due to the volatility of jet fuel.

The CAB adjusts fuel surcharges in relation to the price movement of jet fuel.

It is not part of the basic airfare and maybe adjusted upward or downward depending on the price of jet fuel in the market.

“Airlines wishing to impose or collect fuel surcharge for the same period must file its application with this Office on or before the effectivity period, with fuel surcharge rates not exceeding the above-stated level,” the CAB said.