Facua-Consumers in Action has requested that the Ministry of Consumer Affairs open an investigation into the new surcharge of up to 14 euros that Volotea is passing on due to the increase in fuel costs, considering it to be an "abusive clause contrary to the General Law for the Defense of Consumers and Users".
Since March 16, the airline has begun to add an extra charge linked to the evolution of the fuel price to tickets already purchased, which can reach 14 euros. This additional amount is communicated seven days in advance and is added to the price paid at the time of booking.
The company has named this policy 'Fair Travel Promise' and frames it within its strategy of "not introducing arbitrary fixed fuel surcharges", according to Volotea sources to Europa Press.
On this line, the company maintains that its proposal is "innovative" and that it combines "flexibility, fair treatment, freedom of choice, and transparency".
To calculate the adjustment, Volotea uses as a base the market prices of fuel published in official sources one week before the flight's departure and modifies the ticket price up or down. If the cost of kerosene rises, the airline applies a surcharge of up to 14 euros per passenger and route. Otherwise, it assures that it will return the difference to travelers up to that same limit.
As part of this system, customers, who have all the information at the time of purchase and receive notices prior to departure, can change their flight or cancel the reservation at no cost up to four hours before takeoff.
The airline insists that this is a provisional initiative, designed "for extraordinary and infrequent situations," and that it will eliminate the mechanism when the crude oil market recovers stability.
However, Facua, in the document sent to the Directorate General for Consumption of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and the 2030 Agenda, warns that temporarily limiting the application of this clause to "extraordinary situations" may lead to the company ceasing to use it just when the price of the barrel begins to fall, so that the supposed benefit for users would be misleading.
In this way, the organization denounces that Volotea would maintain the surcharge while fuel prices remain high, charging passengers who already have their tickets an additional 6 to 14 euros, but without practically applying the mechanism in reverse when the cost of kerosene falls.
Furthermore, the association stresses that, given that passengers usually do not know what part of the ticket price is allocated to fuel, neither can they check if the airline is faithfully passing on the real increase in kerosene prices or "if it is using the measure to increase its profit margins".
Facua adds that this supplement prevents users from knowing the final price of the ticket at the time of booking it, as the surcharge is set seven days before the flight. This, in their opinion, reduces the possibility of effectively comparing fares between different airlines.
Lastly, the consumer organization insists that "it is not really accredited that the fuel used for the flight on which the surcharge is applied has actually been affected by the rise in oil prices", since it could come from kerosene stocks acquired before the price increase linked to the conflict in the Middle East.