Fuel Costs in Airplane Fares
Sunday, January 20, 2008
During our online chat (most Mondays at 2 p.m.), you ask and we answer your travel questions -- mostly. Here's one we couldn't get to last week.
What percentage of the cost of an airline ticket goes toward fuel?
A growing percentage, as you might imagine. Whereas jet fuel used to account for just 10 to 15 percent of an airline's costs, that figure is now up to 29 percent, according to the Air Transport Association, an industry trade organization. That's largely because the price of jet fuel has more than doubled since 2000. But the airlines, rightly fearing a disastrous effect on their business, haven't passed on the entire increase to consumers, at least so far. The ATA says that domestic fares are actually down 9 percent since 2000 (although that figure doesn't include government taxes and fees). -- S.V.
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