While it seems that every other airline in the world is raising fuel surcharges and increasing ticket prices, Emirates has axed the fuel surcharges from all its flights.
The result? You'll now see Emirates' economy return fares to the Middle East drop by A$38 and to Europe drop by $75, while business return fares to the same regions fall by $160 and $260 respectively.
Citing "the recent decrease in fuel prices", Emirates Airlines president Tim Clark said the mighty Middle East carrier has removed the fuel surcharge on all tickets across the board.
"This reflects our longstanding commitment to our customers" Clark said. "We promised our customers from the outset that we would eliminate the surcharge as soon as it was commercially viable and this has now been done."
It will be interesting to see the reaction from other airlines that have increased fuel surcharges, along with the reaction of their passengers, to Emirates' bold move.
Virgin Australia was the most recent to hike its fuel surcharge, with domestic and regional fares increasing by up to $10 per sector from May 6 while international fares shot up $75 each way between Sydney and Los Angeles, reflecting an increase in the fuel surcharge to $240 from the previous $165.
Fuel-driven fare increases have also affected Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines, while Qantas has recorded four increases in the past 12 weeks: first on February 11 and again on March 9, March 24 and most recently on April 19.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Emirates drops - yes, that's right, drops - fuel surcharge