As airlines contend with the jet fuel crisis, passengers are being hit from both sides: more cancelled flights and higher travel costs. Carriers around the world are scrapping routes and rolling out extra charges to manage soaring fuel prices driven by the war on Iran and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait, which has effectively been blocked by Iran since February, handles approximately 20% of the world's oil supply. On April 16, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, said Europe has 'maybe six weeks or so [of] jet fuel left,' warning passengers to expect cancellations into the summer months. We're already almost half way to that date. Several airlines have reduced schedules, while others have hiked fares and baggage fees. One UK airline has shut down.
Ascend Airways Shuts Down
Ascend Airways, which mainly operated from London Gatwick and Stansted, cancelled flights and pulled its entire fleet from operation last week. It will soon hand over its UK Air Operator's Certificate (AOC), citing rising costs over jet fuel amid global shortages posed by the Iran war.
How Major Airlines Are Responding
Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines collapsed overnight on Saturday, May 2, after failing to secure a $500m (£368m) bailout from the Trump administration. The discount airline was emerging from its second bankruptcy filing in recent years before the US and Israel's war on Iran. But the resulting surge in jet fuel costs finally pushed it over the edge. The shutdown stranded thousands of passengers across the US. The company cancelled all flights, halted customer service and told travellers not to come to the airport. Customers were issued refunds and instructed to rebook with other airlines.
Lufthansa
Lufthansa has shut down its subsidiary airline CityLine due to 'significantly increased kerosene prices' following the crisis caused by the Iran war. The German carrier said it would 'permanently remove' the 27 aircraft used by its regional operation. As a result, 20,000 short-haul flights will be cut from its summer schedule. The decision came into effect on April 18 'in order to reduce further losses of the loss-making airline'. Till Streichert, chief financial officer of Lufthansa Group, said the moves were 'unavoidable', blaming rocketing fuel costs and geopolitical instability. He described the closure of CityLine as a 'painful step'. At the same time, Lufthansa is also reducing its long-haul schedule. It will withdraw four older Airbus A340-600 long-haul aircraft at the end of the summer, and reduce short and medium-haul offerings by five aircraft this winter.
Aegean Airlines
The Greek airline has announced that it will raise ticket prices as a result of the jet fuel crisis. It said hikes would be limited to around 7% to 8%. The change will impact new bookings, but the 3.6 million passengers already scheduled to fly over the coming months, and those who hold an Aegean Pass and have bought early-bird packages, will be unaffected.
Aer Lingus
Over 500 flights have been dropped from Aer Lingus's schedule. However, the Irish carrier claims this is due to 'mandatory maintenance' on aircraft rather than the fuel crisis.
Air France-KLM
The airline group said it has made 'price adjustments' to long-haul ticket prices to address surging costs, with return economy fares rising by €50 euros (£44) per round trip, and short and medium-haul increasing by €10 (£9). The group's Dutch arm KLM said it would cancel 160 flights in Europe over the coming month as a result of fuel shortages.
Air India
In March, the Indian carrier began a phased expansion of a fuel surcharge on its domestic and international routes 'necessitated by the steep rise in jet fuel prices arising from the geopolitical situation in the Gulf.' All new bookings for flights to and from Europe now incur a $125 (£92) fee, up from $100 (£74) before the conflict began. However, the company noted it will be reviewing surcharges periodically, and may 'make appropriate adjustments' as required.
Alaska Airlines
The US airline, which is due to launch its first UK service between Heathrow and Seattle in May, increased checked bag fees for most customers last month. On April 11, charges went up by $5 (£3.70) for the first bag, by $10 (£7.40) for the second, while a third piece of luggage will now cost $200 (£148), up from the previous $50 (£37).
American Airlines
American Airlines' checked baggage fees have been hiked up to $150 (£111) per bag — meaning the first costs $50 (£37), the second $60 (£44), and the third $200 (£148). However, these increases only apply to domestic and short-haul international flights, so won't impact travellers to or from the UK. The airline has predicted a $400 million increase in first-quarter expenses due to the fuel crisis.
British Airways
In March, British Airways owner IAG said it did not plan to increase ticket prices in the short to medium-term, as it was well hedged for upcoming shortages. However, on April 25, the group acknowledged it was 'not immune' to the ongoing fuel cost pressures linked to instability in the Middle East, and indicated that fares would likely rise to reflect higher jet fuel prices. The airline has also made changes to its schedule due to the 'continuing uncertainty', and is 'directly in touch with affected customers to offer them a range of options'.
Cathay Pacific
The Hong Kong airline plans to cut about 2% of its scheduled passenger flights from mid-May to late June, while its budget subsidiary HK Express is dropping around 6% of flights. However, more flights were actually added to London, Paris, and Zurich in March, as airspace closures led to an 'upsurge' in demand as passengers 'prioritised alternative routings'. In terms of pricing, the carrier previously said it would hike fuel surcharge by 34% across routes from April 1 and review them every two weeks.
China Eastern Airlines
While the Chinese airline, which offers multiple daily flights between London and Shanghai, has raised fuel surcharges, these currently only apply for domestic trips. Passengers travelling within China currently face a 60 yuan fee (£6.50) for journeys under 800km, or 120 yuan (£13) for those over 800km.
Delta Air Lines
Delta said at the start of April it would cut capacity by around 3.5% from its original plan, although this would be targeted on red-eye and mid-week flights to 'reduce unprofitable flying'. Fees for checked luggage also increased by $10 (£7.40) for first and second bags and a $50 (£37) for the third, with bosses reported to be looking at increasing airfares in the months ahead.
EasyJet
In a recent statement, easyJet boss Kenton Jarvis said the airline had 'no concerns', as it has 'visibility to the middle of May' in terms of fuel supply. But with £25 million in extra fuel costs in March, the CEO added that European consumers should expect higher ticket prices around summer, when existing fuel hedges come to an end.
Emirates
Capacity was slashed by Emirates in late February, following widespread regional airspace restrictions impacting its Dubai hub. The world's largest long-haul airline and the largest in the Middle East, normally operates more than 3,600 flights per week, but is currently operating to 'more than 100 destinations' on a skeleton timetable — roughly 70% of its normal capacity. Bosses have said it will only ramp up operations when over-flight corridors over Iraq and Iran are reliably reopened, and will 'develop [its] operational schedule accordingly'. Fare prices have reportedly gone up too, with a $226 (£167) economy class surcharge added to European trips from April 1, and $623 (£461) for premium cabins.
IndiGo
India's biggest airline — which flies from London and Manchester to destinations across India — introduced new fuel charges on domestic and international flights from March 14. These fees initially ranged from 425 rupees (£3.35) for domestic flights to 2,300 rupees (£18) for flights to Europe, but have since been pushed up to as much as 10,000 rupees (£79). IndiGo bosses claimed these surcharges would be monitored and adjusted where necessary, but it aimed to limit the impact on passengers where possible. The company is currently lobbying the Indian government to cut fuel taxes.
Jet2
Following the IEA announcement about impending fuel shortage disruption, a number of Jet2 passengers reached out to the airline for clarity ahead of their bookings. In response, on April 24, representatives confirmed that it will not introduce surcharges on any booked flights or holidays to cover cost increases, for example jet fuel, assuring customers that the price they book is the price they will pay. Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2 said: 'As a result of [this] announcement, customers booking with Jet2 know that they are locking in their price without additional cost surprises later and we strongly believe that is the right thing to do by them.'
JetBlue Airways
Citing 'rising operating costs', the US-based carrier recently hiked baggage prices, with fares going up by either $4 (£3) or $9 (£6.44), depending on the type of flight and number of checked items. While JetBlue hasn't made a statement regarding fare increases, analysis by Deutsche Bank revealed its ticket prices jumped 16% in one week at the start of the month, potentially due to 'panic buying' for summer ahead of a predicted surge.
Norse Atlantic UK
Low-cost Norwegian airline Norse Atlantic has axed its flight route between London Gatwick and Los Angeles this week, citing the 'global fuel crisis'. 'We are truly sorry for the inconvenience, and apologise to passengers who have [had] their travel plans changed,' a spokesperson commented. 'We will assist disrupted passengers as best we can.'
Qantas
Despite cutting domestic flights, strong interest in Europe-bound travel led the Australian airline to redeploy capacity to hotspots like Paris and Rome. Ticket prices have also increased in recent weeks, and it warned it may need to take 'further action' as the situation unfolds.
Ryanair
At the start of April, a Ryanair spokesperson told Metro it could 'guarantee supply to mid-end May', but that if the conflict continues beyond this date, disruption due to fuel shortages could not be ruled out. This bolsters previous claims from Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary, who said the company would likely be forced to cancel between 5% to 10% of its scheduled flights through May, June, and July. With the airline operating over 3,600 flights per day, this means approximately 360 daily trips could be impacted if the fuel crisis doesn't resolve itself.
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
At least 1,000 flights are expected to have been cancelled by SAS in April, up from a 'few hundred' in March. The majority of journeys affected are domestic routes within Norway however, with CEO Anko van der Werff highlighting that given the airline runs over 800 flights per day, cuts are limited in scale. SAS, which had already increased flight prices, said that even if it tried to absorb the rising fuel costs, the surge was still 'a shock that directly hits the airline industry'.
TAP Portugal
On April 18, the CEO of the Portuguese Airlines Association (RENA), António Moura Portugal, said the country's flag carrier, TAP, may 'need to reduce operations and, eventually, raise prices'. While analysis claims TAP only has 40% fuel coverage for 2026 (compared to between 62% and 84% for other major airlines) Portugal stressed that it was continuing to monitor the conflict, and is yet to make any 'definitive statements'.
TUI
TUI Airways — the world's largest charter airline, which flies to over 100 destinations from 17 bases across the UK and Ireland — said it is 'monitoring' jet fuel shortages, but is 'not anticipating any immediate disruption to flight schedules or holiday programmes' at present. The company has, however, issued a profit warning.
Turkish Airlines-SunExpress
SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, is set to impose a temporary fuel surcharge of €10 (£8.69) per passenger. This will apply to bookings for flights between Turkey and Europe, made after April 1, for departures on or after May 1.
United Airlines
In March, United Airlines' CEO Scott Kirby said the firm would begin 'tactically pruning flying that's temporarily unprofitable in the face of high oil prices'. The 5% capacity reduction will be focused on less-popular timings like overnight, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, and is expected to extend through at least the second and third quarters of 2026. United also increased first and second checked bag fees by $10 (£7.40) for customers travelling in the US, Mexico and Canada and Latin America, but international flights are believed to be unaffected.
Virgin Atlantic
The airline is adding fuel surcharges to fares but will still struggle to return to profitability this year, its CEO Corneel Koster told the Financial Times. Virgin Atlantic has raised ticket prices by as much as £360 as the war on Iran makes jet fuel scarce, Metro confirmed earlier this month. Sir Richard Branson's airline added a fuel surcharge of £50 to economy class tickets, with premium economy increasing by £180 and business class by £360. 'If the fuel price goes much higher, I think the surcharges may go higher,' commented CEO Corneel Koster. 'If they go up in a week and you book in two weeks' time, you'll be paying higher.' The company also recently scrapped flights from London to Riyadh, just a year after the route was launched, citing 'the latest intelligence, regulatory guidance, demand and operating costs'.
WestJet
In a series of 'near-term measures', the Canadian airline added a C$60 ($32.50) fuel surcharge to some bookings, and will be consolidating flights on lower-demand routes as well as 'adjusting the travel period for seasonal offerings'. A statement on Westjet's website said capacity was expected to reduce by 1% in April, 3% in May and 5.5% in June, and impacted customers would be provided with re-accommodation options, most within the same day as their original departure.
Wizz Air
Hungarian carrier Wizz Air reported issues due to shortages in three airports in Italy last week, but chief Jozsef Varadi claimed these were 'all resolved within a day and in some cases within hours.' A spokesperson for the company, the third-largest European budget airline (after Ryanair and easyJet), stated it was 'actively monitoring fuel supply,' and 'will work with its suppliers to secure the jet fuel available in line with its needs', keeping customers informed and providing updates as needed.
What to Do If Your Flights Are Cancelled or Disrupted
Chris Harrington, managing director of travel firm hoppa, says the first port of call if your flight is cancelled is to contact the airline. 'If you are already at the airport, head for the airline's customer service desk to speak to a member of staff,' he tells Metro. 'Acting quickly is essential, as available seats on alternative flights may be limited and only available for a short time. However, other people will be in the same position as you, so if you're met with long queues, try using the airline's app or ring the customer service team to find out next steps.' In most cases, the airline will have to make an alternative plan for you, so ask them to rebook you on a later flight, and let them know if there's an alternative route (or flight using another airline) that works. Chris also highlights the importance of buying travel insurance as soon as you book, to 'protect yourself from circumstances such as cancelled flights'. Some policies will cover the cost of hotels, airport transfers, alternative flights, and food, which is essential since cancellations due to external factors, such as fuel shortages, are typically classed as 'extraordinary circumstances', meaning airlines don't necessarily have to reimburse directly. 'If the flight cancellation is due to the actions of the airline, then it's likely you'll be entitled to compensation as per ABTA guidelines,' Chris continues, noting that this amounts to £220 for journeys of 1,500m or less, and up to £520 for anything over this distance. 'However, in this case, because the cancellation is caused by extraordinary circumstances outside of the airline's control, compensation is unlikely to apply.'
