Airline fuel surcharges hit record highs in May

Airline tickets issued from May 1 carry record-high fuel surcharges, nearly double April levels and pushing one-way fees on some U.S. routes above 560,000 won. A modest dip in oil prices late last month, however, has raised expectations that surcharges could ease slightly from June.

Industry officials said tickets issued through the end of May fall under level 33, the highest tier in the current surcharge system. The increase reflects a surge in global oil prices driven by prolonged instability in the Middle East. Fuel surcharges are added to base fares to help airlines offset rising fuel costs. It is the first time the top tier has been applied since the system was introduced in 2016.

Korean Air is charging between 75,000 won and 564,000 won per one-way international ticket, up roughly 1.8 to 1.9 times from April’s range of 42,000 won to 303,000 won. A round-trip ticket from Incheon to New York now carries fuel surcharges totaling 1.128 million won per passenger. Airfares are calculated by combining the base fare and fuel surcharge, and in some cases the surcharge exceeds the base fare depending on the class of service.

Asiana Airlines has raised its May international fuel surcharges to between 85,400 won and 476,200 won per one-way ticket, nearly doubling from April’s 43,900 won to 251,900 won range. Low-cost carrier Jeju Air is charging about 76,000 won to 186,000 won per one-way international ticket this month.


변종국 bjk@donga.com