Travelers brace for summer vacation chaos as airlines set to run out of jet fuel
MOUNTING fears of jet fuel shortages have US travelers on edge ahead of summer vacations.
The holiday industry is bracing for a major fallout due to the Iran war’s impact on global travel.
“Anxious” Americans are worrying about whether they can return home if they travel to Europe or Asia for their summer vacation, said one expert.
For example, will their their long haul-flight end up suddenly being chopped due to a lack of fuel while overseas?
Alternatively, “will my short-haul domestic flight to the international airport be canceled?” Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, told Forbes.
“It’s a level of anxiety that travelers have never really had to worry about, and absolutely it could worsen.”
People across the world are keen for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen to shipping, because of spiraling costs hitting everything from grocery shopping to global fertilizer supplies.
But, even if this vital, narrow corridor was to permanently reopen today, it’ll be too late to salvage this year’s summer holidays, experts have warned.
That’s because airlines have now got to stick to a hurriedly rejigged schedule with airports – which must be booked months in advance.
It comes as the global jet fuel shortage is ramping up fuel prices for US carriers, which in turn are axing cheap airfares and some flights to save money.
Some airlines are already passing on extra costs to travelers by increasing fees for baggage and other add-ons, via steeper ticket prices, and fuel surcharges.
And, unfortunately, it will take months for vital supplies of oil and jet fuel to return to normal, according to Kpler, an energy consulting firm.
“It’s going to take until at least July,” Matt Smith, head US analyst, warned CNN.
“And even that may be optimistic at this point.”
United, American, Delta and Southwest airlines spent about $100 million a day on average among them on fuel in 2025.
But jet fuel prices have roughly doubled since the war began, when the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28.
Delta Air Lines — which frequently flies to destinations across Europe — said it was aware of the continent’s “potential jet fuel supply issue.”
The carrier has already slashed some flights this summer.
United Airlines announced in March that it was “tactically pruning flying that’s temporarily unprofitable in the face of high oil prices.”
It’s the “largest energy crisis we have ever faced,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol told Associated Press last Thursday.
“If we are not able to open the Strait of Hormuz… I can tell you soon we will hear the news that some of the flights from city A to city B might be canceled as a result of lack of jet fuel,” he warned.
It will take an estimated two years for the world to recover from energy shortages caused by the war in Iran, Birol added.
More than 110 oil-laden tankers and over 15 carriers loaded with liquefied natural gas are still waiting in the Persian Gulf.
America’s own jet fuel supplies aren’t currently a huge concern, as local carriers are insulated to a certain extent.
The US produces 13 million barrels of oil a day and imports some four million barrels a day from Canada, De Haan told Forbes on April 16.
However, it’s a different situation in Europe and Asia, both of which are facing a potential shortage because of the ongoing conflict.
In Europe, multiple countries are now relying on less than 20 days of coverage in their fuel supplies, warned the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Asia-Pacific countries are the most reliant on oil and jet fuel from the Middle East, followed by Europe.
“The strait accounts for around 40% of Europe’s jet fuel imports, but no jet fuel has passed the strait since the war broke out,” said Amaar Khan, head of European jet fuel pricing at Argus Media, last Friday.
America has this month come to Europe’s aid to help bolster jet fuel supplies due to the war, sending about 150,000 barrels per day in April.
This is about six times the normal level, according to Jacques Rousseau, managing director at financial firm Clearview Energy Partners.
Airlines chop flights and increase fees amid the Middle East crisis
Here are just some of the impacts on travelers due to the Iran war…
Air Canada:
From June 1 to October 25, 2026, Canada’s largest carrier will chop back flights to New York due to rocketing fuel prices.
Alaska Air:
Fees for the first checked bag have risen by $5 and by $10 for the second on its North American flights. A third checked bag has increased considerably, from $50 to $200.
American Airlines:
Baggage fees have risen by $10 for the first and second checked bags, and by $150 for the third checked bag on domestic and short-haul international flights.
Delta Air Lines:
The carrier is charging an increase of $10 on passengers’ first and second checked bags and a $50 increase on the third.
Frontier Airlines:
This carrier is reviewing its full-year forecast due to rising fuel prices.
Jetblue Airways:
Baggage prices will rise by either $4 or $9.
Spirit Airlines:
This budget US carrier has begged Donald Trump’s administration for hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency funding to offset rising fuel prices.
Southwest Airlines:
Checked baggage fees will rise by $10 for the first and second bags.
United Airlines:
The airline is slashing unprofitable flights.
Also, first and second checked bag fees will spike by $10 for customers travelling in the US, Mexico and Canada and Latin America.
Virgin Atlantic:
This carrier is reducing flights and raising fares.
Westjet:
The Canadian airline has chopped seat capacity for June.
A C$60 ($43) fuel surcharge will be slugged on some bookings.
Source: The Independent
