{"id":593028,"date":"2026-04-19T04:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T04:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/593028\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T04:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T04:42:10","slug":"advice-for-travelers-as-the-iran-war-drives-up-fllight-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/593028\/","title":{"rendered":"Advice for travelers as the Iran war drives up fllight costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the U.S. and Israel\u2019s war with Iran<\/a> squeezes global oil supplies, travelers have valid reasons to worry about the cost and availability of flights as they plan their late spring and summer trips. <\/p>\n

The head of the International Energy Agency has warned that European countries could run low on jet fuel within weeks<\/a>, forcing the continent\u2019s airlines and carriers that fly to Europe to significantly reduce flights. Many airlines have already raised checked bag fees or added fuel surcharges as the global price of jet fuel<\/a> increased from about $99 per barrel at the end of February to as high as $209 a barrel at the beginning of April. <\/p>\n

In a sign of the conflict\u2019s ongoing repercussions for travel, Air Canada<\/a> said Friday it planned to suspend its service to New York\u2019s John F. Kennedy International Airport from June 1 until Oct. 25 to lower its fuel costs. Other airlines, ranging from U.S. carriers like United and Delta to Air France-KLM, SAS, Philippine Airlines and and Cathay Pacific in Europe and Asia, have reduced routes and either increased ticket prices or said they would hike them if the war keeps oil from passing through the Strait of Hormuz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very hard for the airlines to make predictions in this environment, so they\u2019re going to be conservative, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s likely that their prices will remain elevated for some time until things really stabilize,\u201d said Shye Gilad, a former airline captain who now teaches at Georgetown University\u2019s business school.<\/p>\n

With airfares and fees<\/a> on the rise, consumers<\/a> still can make choices that determine how much of their travel budgets will get taken up by paying to get to and from their destinations. <\/p>\n

Act quickly<\/p>\n

While consumers may be tempted to see if the war ends before buying airline tickets, the \u201cwait-and-see\u201d approach to booking flights is riskier this year, travel experts say, especially the longer the war goes on and the closer to summer and other peak travel periods it gets. <\/p>\n

\u201cPresuming there is a lasting ceasefire \u2014 or better yet, peace agreement \u2014 it will take a few months for normal levels of jet fuel production and delivery to resume,\u201d airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, said. <\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s reversal<\/a> on Saturday of its decision to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and President Donald Trump\u2019s insistence on maintaining a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports illustrated the shakiness of prospects for oil flowing reliably again from the Persian Gulf and with it, an easing of the price pressure on airlines and their customers. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy advice to travelers is this: If you find a flight whose schedule fits yours, with a fare you can afford, and on an airline you can at least tolerate, book it,\u201d Harteveldt said. \u201cBut \u2014 and I cannot emphasize this enough \u2014do not book a Basic Economy fare,\u201d the cheapest but also the most restrictive airline ticket class. <\/p>\n

Along with charging for checked bags and seat selection, most North American airlines do not give refunds or travel credits to passengers with Basic Economy tickets if they don\u2019t cancel their trips within 24 hours of purchase. Policies may vary, but spending more for a Standard Economy ticket provides more flexibility, according to Harteveldt. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Sign up for Morning Wire:
\n Our flagship newsletter breaks down the biggest headlines of the day.\n <\/p>\n

Paying more up-front for a refundable ticket also prove advantageous because \u201cif the prices start to dramatically change, you can cancel and rebook for the better price,\u201d Gilad said.<\/p>\n

Travel experts say that for now, longstanding booking guidance offers a baseline for how early to reserve a flight to get the lowest airfare: international flights are typically the cheapest about two to five months in advance, and domestic trips about three to six weeks out. <\/p>\n

Last-minute bookings and other situations that typically command higher prices are likely to keep climbing, Gilad said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemember, especially if you\u2019re traveling on the major airlines, they\u2019re going to have more ability to adjust fares. If you book too close to your travel date, you\u2019re going to pay more,\u201d he said. \u201cThe farther out you can book, the better.\u201d <\/p>\n

Keep an open mind<\/p>\n

Travelers who don\u2019t want or need to reach a specific place at a specific time can find it easier to save on airfare. Shifting departure or return dates by a day or two \u2014 especially from peak weekends and holidays to midweek \u2014 often yields big price differences. <\/p>\n

Choosing a different destination also may pay off. A flight from the U.S. may be significantly cheaper to one European city than another. Since budget airlines and trains connect much of Europe, and trains, an airport it cost less to get to can still provide easy access to a lot of other places. <\/p>\n

Consumers not set on a certain arrival destination can try tools like Skyscanner\u2019s \u201cExplore Everywhere\u201d feature to look for less-expensive options. <\/p>\n

Looking beyond the closest airport for departures also can make a meaningful difference. Major hubs tend to offer more flights and lower fares than smaller regional airports. <\/p>\n

In some cases, booking a separate short flight or train to a hub will unlock a cheaper long-haul airfare \u2014 think Milwaukee versus Chicago\u2019s O\u2019Hare International Airport.<\/p>\n

Travel light<\/p>\n

Sticking to a carry-on bag, when possible, can help avoid the higher fees for checking luggage that many major U.S. airlines introduced recently<\/a>, including Delta, American, United, Southwest and JetBlue.<\/p>\n

If packing light is not an option, plan ahead because airlines typically charge more to add bags closer to departure, especially within 24 hours of a flight.<\/p>\n

Redeem your points<\/p>\n

While fares are going up, the number of airline points needed for many flights has not increased at the same pace, said Adam Morvitz, CEO of points.me, a loyalty rewards redemption search platform.<\/p>\n

Airlines still need to fill seats, Morvitz said, and offering more of them for fewer points is one way to do it.<\/p>\n

Customers without enough frequent-flyer miles<\/a> or credit card points for a round-trip ticket still can redeem their travel rewards for one leg of a journey and free up cash for other travel expenses. <\/p>\n

Many travelers redeem points directly through their credit card\u2019s booking portal, where they\u2019re typically worth about 1 cent each, Morvitz said. Transferring points to airline loyalty programs often unlocks significantly better value because most major credit card issuers partner with a range of airlines. <\/p>\n

Take American Express<\/a>, whose points can be transferred to Air France\u2019s Flying Blue program. Travelers who don\u2019t want to book with Air France still can use those points with the airline\u2019s partner carriers, such as Delta, Morvitz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoints are a form of wealth, and consumers should recognize that those points increase spending power,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Explore travel credit cards<\/p>\n

For those new to travel credit cards, sign-up bonuses may yield benefits that can be put to use as soon as this summer. Some bonuses are large enough to cover a flight after meeting a minimum spending requirement.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you were to travel the entire year, taking one trip per month, you would still earn more points simply by signing up for the card than actually sitting on a seat and flying,\u201d Morvitz said.<\/p>\n

Points and rewards can add up through everyday spending on groceries, dining and gas. Some cards include perks like free or discounted checked bags.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP writers Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit, Mae Anderson in New York and Lisa Leff in London contributed to this story. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the U.S. and Israel\u2019s war with Iran squeezes global oil supplies, travelers have valid reasons to worry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":593029,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[248095,9178,57976,1927,28,12,1076,793,258642,801,1570,228242,803,149,210369,28458,795,792,965],"class_list":{"0":"post-593028","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-adam-morvitz","9":"tag-aerospace-and-defense-industry","10":"tag-air-canada","11":"tag-ap-top-news","12":"tag-business","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-europe","15":"tag-general-news","16":"tag-henry-harteveldt","17":"tag-iran","18":"tag-iran-government","19":"tag-iran-war","20":"tag-israel","21":"tag-lifestyle","22":"tag-strait-of-hormuz","23":"tag-travel-and-tourism","24":"tag-u-s-news","25":"tag-united-states-government","26":"tag-world-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593028\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/593029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}