As if fuel prices weren’t hurting airlines
enough, the European Parliament overnight voted 439 to 74 for higher airfares.

Of course the Euro MPs – the politicians
with all care but no responsibility –
didn’t phrase the vote like that. Instead they were supporting the European
Commission drafting laws to include aviation in greenhouse gas policy,
introduce VAT on aviation fuel and add an extra taxes as well.

With the Europe’s aviation industry a
long way short of good health, such proposals could be enough to push some
players over the edge, especially those with older, less fuel-efficient
aircraft.

And our own Roo would be affected every
time its 747s refuelled in Europe. No doubt they would just add a European tax surcharge to all the
existing extra fees and surcharges that give it the ticket price rise you have
when you don’t increase ticket prices – all the stuff that has made “free”
frequent flyer tickets expensive.