Here's a look at what you may find as you head to Europe:
Flights
"A fuel surcharge is a fancy way of making an airfare hike," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of the travel website FareCompare.com. U.S. regulations require airlines to include such surcharges in the advertised fare.
"Summer airfares to Europe are running as high as I've seen in four or five years," Seaney said.
On Monday, United and Continental airlines confirmed they will raise fares on many U.S. routes by $10 per round trip. American Airlines raised prices earlier this month, also by $10 per round trip.
Fuel surcharges for trans-Atlantic trips can run into the hundreds. Depending on the flight, the surcharge can be higher than the base fare. A Los Angeles-London round trip in April, recently priced on British Airways' website, totaled $738, including the $243 base fare, $276 fuel surcharge and $219 in taxes and fees.
What to do? "The best strategy for a consumer is to play the seasonal pricing game," Seaney said. "Try to go off the beaten path."
Seaney noted consumers got a break last week when U.S. airlines offered more discount seats for early-summer travel. Still, he said, cheap seats will be harder to find this year.
Taxis and airport shuttles
Chicago taxis in January began collecting a $1 fuel surcharge, up from 50 cents; under local law, the surcharge increases and falls with gasoline prices. In New York City, the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, a taxi industry association, last year asked the city for a 19 percent fare increase; as of late February, the request was pending, said association spokesman Michael Woloz.
No fuel charges have been added at Dave's Best Limousine Service in Northeast Philly, an employee said yesterday.
