Travelers planning international trips should check the fuel surcharges applied to their airline tickets. With the latest increase, round-trip fuel surcharges for long-haul routes, such as those to the U.S. East Coast, now exceed 700,000 won for Korean Air.
According to the airline industry on October 1, the international fuel surcharge for this month has moved to level 23, up from level 21 last month. This follows a drop to level 14 in August, marking two consecutive months of increases.
Korean Air's fuel surcharge for international flights departing from Korea in October ranges from 49,000 won for short-haul flights to a maximum of 362,600 won for long-haul routes.
The highest surcharge applies to flights from Incheon to New York, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, and Toronto, with a one-way surcharge of 362,600 won. For round-trip tickets, the fuel surcharge alone totals 725,200 won.
Last month, the one-way fuel surcharge for these routes was 354,000 won, indicating an increase of 8,600 won for one-way and 17,200 won for round-trip tickets over the month.
Short-haul routes are also seeing increases. For flights under 500 miles, such as Incheon to Shenyang, Qingdao, Dalian, Yanji, and Fukuoka, the one-way surcharge has risen from 48,000 won last month to 49,000 won this month, an increase of 1,000 won.
Asiana Airlines has also raised its international fuel surcharges for October. The surcharges for Asiana's international flights from Korea range from 53,400 won to a maximum of 301,200 won. For routes under 499 miles, such as Fukuoka, Yanji, Dalian, and Qingdao, the surcharge has increased from 52,000 won to 53,400 won, a rise of 1,400 won.
For routes between 500 and 999 miles, including Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, Okinawa, and Sapporo, the surcharge has gone up from 76,500 won to 79,400 won, an increase of 2,900 won. For long-haul routes over 5,000 miles, such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Paris, and London, the surcharge has risen from 290,100 won to 301,200 won, an increase of 11,100 won.
The recent rise in fuel surcharges is attributed to the increase in international jet fuel prices. The average price used to calculate the October fuel surcharge was 377.54 cents per gallon and $158.57 per barrel, based on data from August 16 to September 15. This represents a roughly 6% increase from the previous month’s average of 355.46 cents per gallon and $149.29 per barrel, leading to the adjustment from level 21 to level 23.
This year, fuel surcharges have fluctuated significantly. They peaked at level 33 in May, then fell for three consecutive months to level 14 in August. After rising to level 21 in September, they have now increased to level 23.
Fuel surcharges are additional fees that airlines impose to offset some of the cost burden from rising fuel prices. The actual surcharge amount varies by airline and flight distance.
Travelers should note that it is the ticket purchase date, not the travel date, that determines the applicable fuel surcharge. Once a ticket is purchased, any subsequent increase in the surcharge will not require additional payment, nor will a decrease result in a refund.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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