Why summer travel could be problematic amid rising jet fuel costs
The busy summer travel season could see higher airfare prices, more flight cancellations and long airport security lines.
United Airlines has warned travelers that airfare could climb as much as 20% as jet fuel costs continue to surge amid conflict in the Middle East.
"So, you just kind of do the math. Fuel prices do what they do, we need 15% to 20% increase in airfares to pass that through," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told ABC News. "I think this is probably the new normal for airfares."
On its earnings call earlier this week, Alaska Airlines said it expects to pay $600 million more for jet fuel in the second quarter than previously forecast.
Brian Sumers, editor of The Airline Observer, told ABC News, "The price of jet fuel has roughly doubled over the past two months. Airlines exist to make money. They have to pass those costs on to customers, and they have to raise the prices for airfare."
Travelers have already started to pay more, with the average domestic airfare up $55 year over year, according to travel search engine Kayak's historical price data.
More than 5,000 flight routes have been canceled between Delta, United and American from May through September, which amounts to about 33 flights per day.
Those issues come amid increasing concerns that if the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down since mid-February, runs out of emergency funds, TSA agent callouts could increase, causing longer lines at airport security.
Several airports already saw massive security wait times earlier this year, after TSA staffers were forced to work without pay for weeks as a result of the shutdown, prompting many to call out sick and more than 300 agents to leave the agency entirely.
Payments resumed temporarily after President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum instructing DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to work with the Office of Management and Budget to use funds "that have a reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations" to pay the agency's employees.
Sumers warned this week that if TSA agents are required to work without pay again, "some of them will not show up to work, and if they don't show up to work, lines are going to be longer."
