billkeller's Blog

Students Pay $117 Fuel Surchage For Class Trip.

When we were first contacted by someone from the school,  it sounded like the New York based tour operator might being trying to pull a fast one.

In the end,  this story didnt' have as much controversay as some "newsies" might like... but I think  the message of the story resonates with viewers.... it seems EVERY EXTRA DOLLAR GOES TOWARDS FUEL.

As it turned out, the tour operator was simply passing along a legitimate  fuel surcharge as outlined in the contract.  Everyone seemed to be aware of the fine print, but because they had never actually seen the loopwhole used... some were upset. 

Skyrocketing oil prices left these students vulnerable to the volital cost of air travel.

The reason they got stung was because the airline tickets were "booked" last October but not paid for until April... these means the price isn't really locked.

As a dad who just sent his daughter to Washington D.C. with her 8th grade class, I feel for these families.   It's not easy writing those checks.