Airlines have always complained when oil prices jump and they waste absolutely no time in hiking fares domestically and adding "fuel surcharges" for international flights.
However, when oil prices decline like they have in the past three weeks, we do not hear a beep. Why do airlines not roll back these surcharges?
The Department of Transportation (DOT) supposedly was going to hold the airlines accountable in justifying the fuel surcharges, but we have yet to hear a beep from DOT either.
The double standard has been there for a while, and airlines claim that fuel costs are unpredictable. In an election year, don't expect the U.S. Department of Transportation to make any significant moves to make the skies friendlier for travelers. www.premieretravel.com
