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Airfares Stay Elevated After Jet Fuel Prices Drop
Domestic airfares booked for late June through August are 15 percent higher than last year. Jet fuel prices have fallen more than 40 percent from February peaks, yet ticket prices have not followed.
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Airfares booked from the last week of June through the end of August are 15 percent higher than they were in 2025. Jet fuel prices have fallen more than 40 percent from February levels, but carriers have not reduced fares. Through March 30, the average price of a domestic ticket in the United States was $428, $19 higher than the average at the end of 2025.
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported this was the second-highest average fare since September 2022.
Jet fuel prices doubled in just over a month during the U.S.-Iran conflict. A gallon cost $2.42 on February 26 and reached $4.88 by April 2, according to data from airline industry trade association Airlines for America. Airlines raised fares and fees to offset the increase.
United Airlines raised ticket prices by 15 to 20 percent in March, and Delta announced in April it was raising checked bag fees by $10.
Jet fuel prices fell to $2.76 by June 22 before rising to $2.91 by June 25. The decline followed increased refinery output and lower oil prices. Demand has kept fares elevated. Atmosphere Research Group Airline Industry Analyst Henry Harteveldt said airlines will not lower prices if passengers continue to pay higher ones.
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that he instructed the Department of Justice to investigate oil industry pricing. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said prices will come down when more flights can operate under less congested air traffic control conditions.
