Airlines Cut Flights As Concerns Grow Over Jet Fuel Prices And Shortages

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The 6 biggest US airlines spent $1.2 billion more on fuel in Q1, and things are about to get worse

Carriers expect to pay about $4.26 per gallon for jet fuel in Q2, up from $2.80 in Q1.

4/28/26 12:54PM

With JetBlue’s Tuesday morning earnings report, we can now put some early figures on the jet fuel crunch for US airlines.

Collectively, the country’s six biggest carriers spent about $1.2 billion more on fuel in the quarter that ended in March than in Q1 of 2025. Given this year’s first quarter included only one month of the war in Iran, things are likely going to get worse.

Per their earnings reports, here’s how much more airlines paid for fuel in the first quarter compared to last year:

Delta Air Lines: $196 million.
United Airlines: $340 million.
American Airlines: $341 million.
Southwest Airlines: $107 million.
Alaska Air: $115 million.
JetBlue: $62 million.

Looking ahead, carriers expect the seat belt sign to stay on. Delta forecast a $2 billion hike to its Q2 fuel bill, and Alaska guided for “$600 million or more.”

On average, US airlines are expecting to pay more than 50% more per gallon of fuel in the second quarter than in the first, as prices continue to average above $4, according to the Argus US Jet Fuel Index.

As recent flyers will know, airlines have been making attempts to “recapture” fuel costs through higher fares, fewer flights, and the hiking of bag fees in recent weeks. Still, those efforts are slow-going and need to be carefully done to have the lowest impact on demand.

“To state the obvious, the best type of fuel recapture is not to purchase the fuel in the first place,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said on the company’s earnings call earlier this month. The company said it expects to recover up to half of its higher fuel costs in the quarter.

United and American similarly guided for up to 50% recovery in Q2, while JetBlue expects to recapture up to 40% of its Q2 fuel bill. Southwest COO Andrew Watterson called recapture forecasts a “dangerous game.”

“At the end of the day, this ‘percent of fuel recovery,’ which is really what you would put on top of your trend, it’s going to be dictated by market conditions, not by some academic formula or target of calculated recovery,” Watterson said.

Per United CEO Scott Kirby, to recover the full amount of higher fuel costs, the carrier would need to earn between 15% and 20% more per passenger.

“As yields increase, there will be an elasticity effect on demand, [which] we’re estimating will lead to less overall demand,” said Kirby. “While we haven’t actually seen that decline yet, Econ 101 makes us believe it’s coming.”

Tom Jones6/24/26

Prime Day is here again and Amazon’s subscription service has never been more popular

Well, it’s that time of year again: many have made their wish lists, people are scraping together the money they’ve saved to pick out a perfect gift, some are presumably leaving out refreshments for the weary delivery drivers and, more and more, drones.

It’s Amazon Prime Day — meaning that it’s the second day of the four-day promotional event that Amazon still calls Prime Day — of course, and it’s even come early this year, with the company bringing the period into late June from July, when it’s been traditionally held for the last five years.

The Prime Age

Alongside the eyes and endless clicks that the arbitrary stream of listicles on “The Best Prime Day Deals” that almost every media outlet pours into, Amazon will also be cheering the fact that there’s now more Prime users than ever before to devour the retailer and its sellers’ sometimes-contested “discounts.” Indeed, according to the latest annual estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), there were just over 200 million American shoppers using Amazon’s massive subscription service at the end of 2025.

Max Knoblauch6/15/26

Electronic Arts launches a platform to put more ads in its games

Video game publishing giant EA launched a new platform on Monday designed to make the process of selling immersive ad space in its popular games easier.

The company says the platform, called EA Advertising, allows brands to “integrate directly into gameplay through dynamic, real-time placements, from stadium signage to custom in-game content.”

More so than other studios, EA has incorporated advertising into its most popular titles. As Kotaku points out, the company’s ad efforts stretch as far back as 2006. Several of its sports franchises already feature partnerships with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and PepsiCo.

In-game advertising hasn’t exactly been embraced by fans, but industry experts expect it to ramp up as companies seek more revenue to offset higher games budgets and surging memory costs. EA rival Take-Two has taken a different approach, with CEO Strauss Zelnick recently saying the company was “not at risk of doing brand partnerships” in the forthcoming “Grand Theft Auto VI,” and that ads in full-price games seems “unfair.”

The $55 billion deal to take EA private, led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, is set to close at the end of this month. Being the largest leveraged buyout in history, EA will likely look for more ways to boost revenue to cover interest payments.

Electronic Arts Makes Push for Ad Dollars Tied to Sports

Millie Giles6/11/26

JM Smucker says it sold $1 billion worth of Uncrustables in FY2026

After years of booming sandwich sales, JM Smucker has finally earned a billion-dollar crust.

On Tuesday, the company reported results for fiscal year 2026, highlighting better-than-expected profits driven by higher prices for coffee and sweet baked goods. However, at another point on the earnings call, CEO Mark Smucker pointed to one particularly jammy figure: in line with previous forecasts, the company sold $1 billion worth of its (almost always) crustless sandwiches, Uncrustables, in the last year alone.

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

Paramount reportedly offers concessions to resolve multistate antitrust investigation

Paramount has reportedly offered up some concessions in an effort to prevent an antitrust lawsuit by California and about 10 other states, according to Bloomberg reporting on Monday.

Reuters first reported on the potential suit from a group of unnamed states last week, which could throw a wrench in Paramount’s plans to buy rival Warner Bros. Discovery in a Hollywood megamerger.

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

Paramount Offers Concessions to Head Off State Antitrust Lawsuit

The list of concessions is unknown, though Bloomberg previously reported that Paramount is open to divesting some of its kids TV assets to appease EU regulators.

Late last month, reports said US regulators appeared likely to approve the $110 billion merger, following a meeting between Paramount CEO David Ellison and DOJ antitrust staffers.

$98B ⛽

Max Knoblauch6/8/26

The IATA released its latest financial outlook for the airline industry over the weekend, forecasting a $98 billion jump in the sector’s collective fuel bill. The world’s largest trade group representing airlines expects the oil spike to halve profits by 49% from last year to $23 billion.

The group also expects profit margins to halve year over year, falling from 2025’s 4.2% to 2%. Still, revenue is expected to climb to $1.17 trillion from $1.07 trillion.

A surge in the cost of jet fuel has rocked US and global airlines this year, leading Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and others to raise fares and ancillary charges like bag fees. Low-cost carriers, which operate on smaller margins, have been squeezed the hardest, resulting in Spirit’s shutdown.

“It’s a tough year for all airlines, especially those whose balance sheets had not yet recovered from COVID. And, of course, for those operating in the Gulf,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh, who added that demand is holding up and about half of passengers expect to spend more on travel this year. “That bodes well for a strong northern summer peak season. The big unknown is how long travelers and shippers can tolerate the higher costs of connectivity.”