The temporary fuel surcharge that outlasted the actual oil crisis

That "temporary" fuel surcharge on your ticket is the guest who crashed on the couch decades ago and never left. It was a quick fix for an oil spike, promised to vanish the moment prices cooled.

But prices are "sticky." They rocket up when costs rise, but develop amnesia when they drop. It’s a corporate ratchet: once you’re used to the pain, the "emergency" just becomes the new baseline profit margin.

You’re still paying for a crisis that ended before you were born, now rebranded as a permanent "fee" hidden in the fine print.

But wouldn't a competitor just drop the fee to steal all the business?

You’d think so, right? In a textbook, some "hero" airline would slash the fee and everyone would flock to them. But in reality, airlines have the collective backbone of a wet noodle when it comes to lowering prices.

It’s a "truce of the greedy." If everyone is quietly overcharging you for a $15 soggy wrap, the first person to drop the price just starts a race to the bottom where everyone makes less profit.

They’d rather keep the peace. Why fight for your business by being cheaper when they can all just sit back, keep the fee, and watch the cash roll in together? It’s a silent agreement to keep the status quo.

Wait, how is this 'silent agreement' not just illegal price-fixing?

It’s only illegal if they’re caught pinky-swearing in a smoky backroom. That’s 'explicit collusion,' which lands you a massive fine and a PR nightmare.

But these guys use 'tacit collusion.' They don't need to talk; they just watch each other’s screens. If Airline A sees Airline B keeping the fee high, they simply follow suit.

By 'doing nothing' together, they get all the benefits of a cartel without the incriminating emails. It’s the corporate version of 'I’m not touching you' while their hands are in your pockets.

Is there some kind of shared software doing all this "watching" for them?

Exactly. They use "Revenue Management Systems" that act like a shared nervous system. These bots scan competitor prices thousands of times a day, reacting at speeds that make your head spin.

It’s a digital game of "Follow the Leader." If one airline tests a higher fee and the others don't match it within hours, the bot simply retreats. It’s a constant, silent conversation held entirely in lines of code.

This algorithmic stalking ensures no one accidentally offers you a bargain. It’s how they keep that $15 sandwich price perfectly synced across the terminal without ever needing to pick up the phone.

Who actually writes the code for this 'silent conversation'?

Pretty much a tiny handful of specialized tech firms. Airlines don't usually build these 'brains' themselves; they rent them from the same few providers that dominate the entire industry.

These firms sell the same 'optimization' tools to almost everyone. It’s like every stall in the food court hiring the same consultant to tell them exactly how much to overcharge for a lukewarm soda.

When everyone uses the same math, they all arrive at the same expensive answer. It’s not a secret cabal; it’s just everyone buying the same 'How to Squeeze Customers' starter pack.