The price of New York's light, sweet crude oil had struck a record high US$119.93 (S$163) per barrel in trading on Monday.

'British Airways will increase its fuel surcharge on all tickets issued from Friday May 2, 2008. The decision reflects continuing high oil prices,' a company statement said.

The surcharge for single-fare longhaul flights of less than nine hours will rise by ten pounds (S$27) per flight to 63 pounds, BA said. The cost would increase to 126 pounds for return flights.

The surcharge for single-fare longhaul flights of more than nine hours would increase by 15 pounds to 79 pounds per flight. It would jump to 158 pounds for a return fare.

BA added that its short-haul fuel surcharges would be lifted by three pounds per flight, or 26 pounds for a return trip.

Last February, it was announced that British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were to pay a combined US$200 million in compensation to millions of passengers for previously colluding over fuel surcharges.

In August 2007, BA was slapped with a US$300 million criminal fine by a US federal court after it admitted fixing fuel surcharges levied on flights between the United States and Britain.

The airline was handed record fines totalling US$246 million in Britain for its actions. -- AFP