As the United States and Israel’s war with Iran and the ensuing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz reduce global oil supplies, travelers have valid reasons to worry about the cost and availability of flights.
The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that European countries could run out of aviation fuel within weeks, forcing the continent’s airlines and carriers flying to Europe to significantly reduce flight offerings.
Many airlines have already raised checked baggage fees or added fuel surcharges, as the global price of jet fuel has jumped from about $99 per barrel in late February to as much as $209 per barrel in early April.
Continues after advertising
In a sign of the conflict’s ongoing impacts on tourism, Air Canada said last Friday it planned to suspend its service to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport from June 1 until Oct. 25 to reduce its fuel costs.
Other airlines, from U.S. carriers like United and Delta to Air France-KLM, SAS, Philippine Airlines and Cathay Pacific in Europe and Asia, have cut routes and raised ticket prices or said they would raise them if war stops oil from flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts interviewed by Associated Press say it is very difficult for airlines to forecast in this environment, which makes it likely that their prices will remain high for some time until conditions normalize.
This Saturday, Iran once again closed navigation through the Strait, in retaliation for the US maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports and vessels.
