Heads Up: Airfare Costs Expected to Spike By P15,000 This April

(SPOT.ph) Stop the car—er, plane! We know summer is the perfect time for getaways near and far, but you might want to hold off on booking any impromptu flights this month.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) raised passenger and cargo fuel surcharge levels for both domestic and international flights to Level 19 for April 16 to 30—bringing charges close to the maximum allowed under its current pricing matrix.

Under the Level 19 designation, airfare may incur add-on fees of up to P15,400, an increase of almost 150% compared to costs in early April. Specifically, fuel surcharges for domestic flights now range from P627 to P1,834, up from P253 to P787 earlier in April, while charges for international flights have climbed from P2,070.77 to P15,397.15, up from the previous range of P835.05 to P6,208.98.

It has previously been reported that CAB is set to review fuel surcharge prices every 15 days to keep up with market volatility driven by the ongoing oil crisis amid tensions in the Middle East. In its advisory, CAB maintains that this is only an "interim measure" and shall only be in effect until the global situation stabilizes.

Friendly reminder that these flight cost updates only apply to bookings made during this period. If you've made your plans and paid for your tickets before April 16, you're marked safe.

The Civil Aeronautics Board defines the fuel surcharge as an "optional" charge outside of the "base fares" you initially see in booking pages. In practice, most, if not all, airlines do charge this, if only to offset the fluctuations in jet fuel costs. Additionally, fuel surcharges are calculated based on the distance of each flight sector, so longer routes incur higher additional fees.

For more information, visit the Civil Aeronautics Board's website.

Also read: Why Are Domestic Flights Often More Expensive Than Flying Abroad?