Your Emirates Skywards reward tickets will attract fuel surcharge from March 31

Emirates passengers using their Skywards miles to book reward tickets will need additional miles to the same destinations as the airline will introduce a fuel surcharge on Skywards reward tickets from the 31st of this month (March). 

From this date, the airline will introduce fuel surcharges on all Emirates skywards reward tickets, the airline revealed in its Skywards programme update. 

“Until now, the surcharges have been excluded from Emirates Skywards reward tickets. Given the volatility of the fuel price, it is no longer possible for Emirates to absorb this cost on Skywards reward tickets,” said the company in its update. 

Emirates airline had recently increased its fuel surcharge on air tickets in line with the volatility in oil prices which the airline said had led to a "substantial increase" in its cost of fuel.

“Due to the current volatility of oil prices and substantial increase in fuel costs, Emirates has recently been forced to increase the fuel surcharge on all fares globally. The surcharge gives us the ability to respond more quickly to market conditions, rather than the lengthier process of incorporating costs into fares,” an Emirates airline spokesperson told Emirates 24|7.

In the operational update sent to all members of the Emirates loyalty programme, Skywards said that travellers will be able to pay the surcharge “with cash or Skywards Miles”. In addition, it noted that “[t]he surcharge will be displayed as part of the taxes payable on your reward ticket and will be aligned to the surcharge applicable on commercial tickets.” 

According to air travel organisation Iata, fuel surcharges now account for between 7 and 12 per cent of total air travel ticket prices.

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