High airfares could stick around even if jet fuel prices fall
Airlines say ticket prices may stay elevated because many seats were already sold before fuel costs jumped, limiting how quickly fares can fall.
- Travelers shopping for holiday flights encountered the highest airfares in a decade on Friday, with round-trip domestic tickets for Thanksgiving and Christmas averaging $402 and $452, respectively, according to booking company Hopper.
- Fighting in the Middle East and Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries have curtailed production, pushing jet fuel prices to $4.53 a gallon on Sept. 17, according to the Argus index.
- American Airlines faces an additional $1 billion in fourth-quarter fuel costs, Chief Financial Officer Devon May said; every penny increase per gallon adds about $10 million to the carrier's quarterly bill.
- About 35% of United's tickets for the final three months were already booked before fuel prices spiked, Chief Financial Officer Mike Leskinen noted, preventing the carrier from retroactively raising those fares.
- Experts suggest airfares may stay high even if fuel costs fall. Brett House, an economist at Columbia Business School, noted such fluctuations make airlines cautious, while Stephen Treanor from California State University, Chico warned of sustained high prices.
48 Articles
48 Articles
High airfares could stick around even if jet fuel prices fall – WTOP News
Travelers could be stuck paying high airfares even if oil and jet fuel prices fall, major U.S. airlines and industry analysts say. The price of jet fuel shot up after the Iran war began and retreated sharply in the spring before surging again as the summer went on. Such fluctuations make it harder for airlines...
Soaring Fuel Prices Dim End-of-Year Outlook for Major U.S. Airlines
By Karl Sinclair • Contributing Writer September 28, 2026 Subscription Required Buckle up, folks. It’s going to be a bumpy ride. Soaring fuel costs are squeezing already-thin airline margins, and the final quarter of 2026 projects to be...
Passengers waiting for lower prices on airline tickets with cheaper fuel could have to wait. Airlines set their fares months before, so that the cost reduction is not immediately reflected in the ticket price.
The higher prices on airline tickets appear to be here to stay, as major American airlines and aviation industry analysts estimate that they will not decrease even if oil and fuel prices fall.
Passengers waiting for lower prices on airline tickets with cheaper fuel could have to wait. Airlines set their fares months before, so that the cost reduction is not immediately reflected in the ticket price.
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