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The price of regular gas is posted at $5.39 at a Shell station on Glades Road in Boca Raton on April 6. (Carline Jean\/South Florida Sun Sentinel)<\/p>\n
Although hotel bookings are holding up, visitors attending any of the events likely will be paying more to travel here.<\/p>\n
Shortly after the conflict broke out, airlines were not shy about pointing out the prospects for war-driven pricing and the likelihood of surcharges and other higher fees to offset rising energy costs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe war in the Middle East has driven an unprecedented spike in jet fuel, with prices roughly double what they were earlier in the year,\u201d Delta Air Lines<\/a> CEO Ed Bastian told industry analysts during an earnings call Thursday, according to a transcript provided by the airline. \u201cIn this environment, our focus is on what we can control: running a reliable operation, taking care of our people and customers, and protecting our margins and cash flow. As part of that, we are meaningfully reducing capacity in the current quarter with a downward bias until we see the fuel situation improve.\u00a0 At the same time, we\u2019re moving quickly to recapture higher fuel prices.\u201d<\/p>\n In early March, discounter Spirit Airlines,<\/a> which is based in Dania Beach and is reorganizing under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, said fuel pricing and supply issues could well impact its financial recovery.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Debtors\u2019 operating results are significantly impacted by changes in the price and availability of aircraft fuel,\u201d the Dania Beach-based airline\u2019s parent firm, Spirit Aviation Holdings, said in a recent disclosure statement filed with the bankruptcy court. \u201cPeriods of high volatility in jet fuel costs, increased jet fuel prices, and significant disruptions in the supply of jet fuel could have a material adverse impact on the Company\u2019s business, financial condition, and operating results.\u201d<\/p>\n The outlook was prescient. On Friday, the U.S. Energy Information Agency noted a sharp downward slide in supply since the war began.<\/p>\n \u201cCrude and oil product flows through the Strait of Hormuz have plunged from around 20 million barrels per day before the war to a trickle currently,\u201d the agency said on its website. \u201cWith traffic largely halted, limited capacity to bypass the crucial waterway, and storage filling up, Gulf countries have cut total oil production by more than 11 [million barrels per day]. In the absence of a rapid resumption of shipping flows, supply losses are set to increase.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun Sentinel<\/p>\n Gasoline tanker trucks wait in line for fuel at Port Everglades in 2023. The Broward County port is a major way station for gasoline and jet fuel deliveries imported to South Florida from mostly Gulf Coast sources. (Joe Cavaretta\/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)<\/p>\n South Florida does not receive its gasoline and other oil products from the Mideast. It arrives from the U.S. Gulf Coast at Broward County\u2019s Port Everglades. More than 93% of the region\u2019s refined petroleum comes from Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. Jet fuel is shipped to airports via pipeline while gasoline heads for filling stations via tanker trucks.<\/p>\n But analysts indicate that Asian nations that typically rely on Middle East sources for their oil\u00a0 \u2014 sources that are now bottled up by the war \u2014 are shopping elsewhere including the Gulf Coast for petroleum products.<\/p>\n Dr. David Menachof, associate professor of operations and supply management at Florida Atlantic University\u2019s College of Business, said that with the majority of local supplies coming from the Gulf of Mexico, no one sees any major interruptions in South Florida at this time.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is happening is the price of product on those ships is just going with market rates,\u201d Menachof said.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the actual gas station pumps, those changes are happening literally in response to crude oil prices going up, which affects the refined product prices down the road,\u201d he added. \u201cEven though we don\u2019t get our oil from the Persian Gulf, it\u2019s a global market.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNow there is additional demand for product coming out of the U.S. Gulf and every other part of the world producing oil,\u201d Menachof said.<\/p>\n Regardless of the origin, the war\u2019s upshot for U.S. consumers is an array of surcharges by transportation firms such as airlines and delivery firms.<\/p>\n Steven Senne\/AP<\/p>\n Delta Air Lines passenger jets are shown at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Top airline management has vowed to recoup additional fuel costs driven up by the Iran war by passing them along to passengers in the form of higher fares and fees. (Steven Senne\/AP file) Passenger airlines serving Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International<\/a> and Palm Beach International airports are tacking on fees for baggage.<\/p>\n Delta Air Lines boosted fees effective this past Wednesday, with charges for the first bag rising from $35 to $45; the second from $45 to $55; and the third jumping from $150 to $200. Major delivery firms have ramped various charges that started in March and are continuing into this month:<\/p>\n FedEx\u00a0 announced a 26.5% fuel surcharge for packages and air freight effective this past Monday. Demand still aloft \u2014 thus far<\/p>\n Yet, travel and lodging industry executives insist that demand has remained strong despite the daily diets of war news, a continued Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical outlet for tankers loaded with petroleum products, and a tenuous outlook for resolving the crisis at the negotiating table.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Visit Lauderdale, the destination promotion agency for Broward County, proclaimed March a banner year.<\/p>\n \u201cHotels across Greater Fort Lauderdale reported strong performance during the month of March, with occupancy reaching 85%, an increase of 6% compared to March 2025,\u201d the organization said in a statement. \u201cHotel demand rose 9% year over year, while the average daily rate \u2026 reached $240.49, reflecting continued traveler interest in the destination\u2019s beaches, extensive waterways, thriving culinary scene, cultural attractions and cruise departures from Port Everglades.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMarch underscores the ongoing demand for Greater Fort Lauderdale and the impact tourism has across our community,\u201d\u00a0 Stacy Ritter, president and CEO, said in a statement. \u201cThis performance reflects the intentional work of our team and the strategic efforts driving awareness and visitation to the destination.\u201d<\/p>\n The statement did not mention the war and Ritter was not immediately available for comment.<\/p>\n![\"Gasoline](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/TDFLYFAZ3RBYXCNLIJ4PCOLWXI-11.jpg\")
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<\/p>\n
\nBlossoming fees<\/p>\n
\nJetBlue Airways added $4 for the first bag to $39 for off-peak flying and tacked on $9 to $49 for peak travel times.
\nSouthwest Airlines<\/a> announced increases of $10 starting Thursday. The new charges are $45 for the first bag and $55 for the second, applied to most fares.<\/p>\n
\nAmazon is imposing a 3.5% \u201cfuel and logistics\u2011related surcharge\u201d for third-party sellers in the U.S. and Canada starting April 17.
\nUPS, starting in early March, imposed a domestic air surcharge that has risen to nearly 10%, international air surcharges that are above 10% and a domestic ground surcharge that now exceeds more than 5%.<\/p>\n