Travelers face steeper airfares as fuel surcharges double

Passengers are seen at a check-in counter at Incheon Airport Terminal 1 on April 16. South Korean travelers are facing sharply higher airfares starting this month as fuel surcharges roughly double due to surging oil prices tied to escalating tensions in the Middle East. Tickets issued this month carry fuel surcharges at Tier 33, up from Tier 18 in April—the highest level since the current system was introduced in 2016. Fuel surcharges, which airlines add to base fares to offset rising fuel costs, are set monthly based on oil prices and adjusted individually by carriers. At Korean Air, surcharges for one-way international tickets now range from 75,000 won ($51) on short-haul routes to as much as 564,000 won on long-haul routes, an increase of roughly 80 percent to 90 percent from a month earlier. Low-cost carrier Jeju Air said it will impose fuel surcharges between $52 and $126 on international routes departing Korea, up from $29 to $68 the previous month. The increases are weighing on travelers, but airlines say they are not enough to fully offset higher fuel costs, which typically make up about 30 percent of operating expenses. Airlines are shifting into cost-control mode, reducing nonessential spending and adjusting operations in stages as fuel price pressures persist. Asiana Airlines recently expanded its flight reductions for this month, raising canceled services from eight to 13 across three international routes. Jin Air is planning to suspend 131 flights across 14 routes this month, up from 45 flights across eight routes in April. Air Premia has also decided to cancel 22 flights in July across routes to Da Nang, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Honolulu. Korean Air has not announced flight cuts but said it is closely monitoring the situation.