Aurigny has halved its credit card charges reducing the cost to £1 from £2 per person per segment or 'journey' in the case of a 'through' flight.
Commercial director Malcolm Coupar says that traditionally airlines have always looked at all potential income streams to help achieve profitability but believes that this is the right time to introduce this initiative:
‘Because of flybe’s withdrawal from the London Gatwick service and our purchase of a new Embraer 195 jet we fully expect our passenger numbers to grow considerably this year. We will have greater volumes of customers over which to spread the considerable card processing infrastructure costs.
‘Transaction charges applied by card payment processors are only a part of the overall cost of card transactions. In addition to these we have; hardware, software development, communications, and the ever-tightening security requirements imposed upon us to ensure customers card details are kept secure.
'We expect this reduction in the fee to lead to a higher proportion of customers taking advantage of the benefits afforded by using their credit cards such as travel/holiday insurance.
‘As an airline we have always spoken out against the policy of some airlines who hide certain charges until the end of an online booking transaction to make their prices more competitive. Aurigny will continue to be open about its charges and why they are levied and we believe that our passengers will understand the reasons behind our decision.’