Airfares set to rise in April

09 March 2016 - 16:13 By TMG Digital
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South Africans wanting to travel and who have the cash to buy their tickets this month can score if they act quickly – airfares are scheduled to increase next month.

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South Africans can expect domestic and international airfares to increase by between 5% and 10% on April 1‚ says Flight Centre.

April is traditionally the month when airfares are adjusted in line with International Air Transport Association tradition‚ the traveller retailer said in a statement on Wednesday.

The price of a ticket is made up of the basic fare‚ fuel surcharge‚ departing country‚ transiting country‚ destination country airport and government-imposed taxes.

Airport and government taxes are the same irrespective of the airline‚ but the fuel surcharge differs from airline to airline.

The weak rand is‚ however‚ countering the effects of the low oil price - which means that airfares will increase‚ Flight Centre said.

“Unfortunately‚ as the fuel is priced in US dollars‚ the current exchange rate is working against us. As the fuel price comes down the deteriorating rand counters any possible saving‚” said Carlos Luis‚ Flight Centre’s Air Warehouse Leader.

Luis said that the increase is “unavoidable” and urges travellers‚ who know their travel dates and destination‚ to book and pay for their tickets in March to avoid the hike.

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