Jet fuel prices and airfares are rising. Travelers are still booking flights, US airlines say

"Jet fuel prices have jumped since the war began on Feb. 28 and strained global oil supplies, particularly around the Straight of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil passes. The volatile crude oil price that is driving gasoline prices higher has had the same effect on jet fuel, which is one of the airline industry's biggest expenses, typically making up about a quarter of operating costs."

"The price for a gallon of jet fuel rose to $3.93 on Tuesday, up from $2.50 the day before the war broke out, according to Argus Media. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said that amounts to roughly $400 million in additional costs so far. Executives at American and United reported similar figures while speaking Tuesday at the annual J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference."

"It's across all segments, covering corporate, covering international, covering premium leisure, covering main cabin, covering our domestic system. We're seeing strength in every market that we look at. Bastian noted that eight of Delta's top 10 days for ticket sales happened this year, five of them since the start of the war."

Jet fuel prices have surged significantly following the outbreak of war in the Middle East on February 28, rising from $2.50 to $3.93 per gallon by Tuesday. This increase has added approximately $400 million in costs to major carriers including Delta, American, and United Airlines. Despite these substantial expenses, airline executives report that strong demand across all travel segments—corporate, international, premium leisure, and domestic—is helping absorb the higher costs. Delta experienced eight of its top ten ticket sales days this year, with five occurring since the war began. United similarly reported its strongest ten-week period for bookings during the first ten weeks of the year, indicating robust passenger demand across the industry.

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