Air France, KLM raise fares by £86 as Middle East fuel crisis deepens

The price of flying just went up again, and the reason sits half a world away in the Persian Gulf. Air France and KLM announced this week that they are doubling the fuel surcharge they imposed on passengers just a month ago. What cost an extra €50 (£43.47) on a round-trip economy ticket in March now costs €100 (£86.98)—nearly £87 added to the base fare before you even board. For long-haul flights to the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the picture is even steeper: passengers will pay an additional €70 (£60.89) per ticket, with economy round-trips climbing by another €10 (£8.70).

The two airlines, which operate under the same parent company, are responding to a crisis that began on February 28, 2026, when US-Israeli strikes triggered a cascade of disruptions across global aviation. Iran responded by blockading the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and gas normally flows. That single chokepoint has sent jet fuel prices soaring and created a shortage that is rippling through every major airline's operations. Routes have been cancelled. Schedules have fractured. And now, the cost of flying is climbing faster than it has in years.

Air France and KLM are not alone in passing these costs to passengers. Virgin Atlantic added a £50 fuel surcharge to economy tickets this week, with premium economy fares jumping by £180 and business class by £360. JetBlue, meanwhile, is raising baggage fees—an off-peak economy bag that cost $35 (£25.84) will now cost $39 (£28.79), while peak economy bags are climbing to $49 (£36.17). The strategy is consistent across carriers: when fuel costs spike, airlines find ways to recover the difference, whether through ticket prices, surcharges, or ancillary fees.

Corneel Koster, the chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, was blunt about what lies ahead. He told passengers that the airline has never seen jet fuel at these price levels and that the surcharges announced now may not be the final word. "If the fuel price goes much higher, I think the surcharges may go higher," he said. "If they go up in a week and you book in two weeks' time, you'll be paying higher." He acknowledged that while there are no fuel shortages at the moment, the visibility beyond May is murky. The airline has contracts with multiple suppliers drawing from diverse sources, which provides some insulation for April and May. But beyond that, Koster said plainly, he has less certainty—and that uncertainty is already being priced into tickets.

The timing could not be worse for travelers planning summer holidays. Koster warned that prices could climb throughout the remainder of 2026 if fuel costs remain elevated or worsen. Airlines are caught between two pressures: they cannot absorb these fuel costs without eroding their margins, but every surcharge they add makes flying less affordable and potentially dampens demand. The math is unforgiving. A family of four booking a transatlantic flight on Air France or KLM is now looking at an additional £348 in fuel surcharges alone—money that did not exist in the equation six weeks ago. For those flying to North America on Virgin Atlantic, the premium cabin passengers are paying hundreds more per ticket. And for anyone checking a bag on JetBlue, the small fees are adding up across an entire booking.

What makes this moment distinct is the geopolitical origin of the crisis. This is not a gradual market shift or a seasonal uptick. This is a direct consequence of a regional conflict that has weaponized one of the world's most critical shipping lanes. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is not a temporary disruption—it is a deliberate act with global economic consequences. Airlines have no control over whether the strait reopens, no leverage to negotiate with Iran, and no ability to predict when or if fuel prices will stabilize. They can only adjust their pricing and hope that passengers continue to fly despite the climbing costs.

For now, the industry is holding its breath. Koster's comments suggest that airlines are monitoring the situation week by week, adjusting surcharges as fuel prices move. The surcharges announced this week may not be the last. Summer bookings are already being made at these elevated prices, and if the crisis deepens, those who book later will pay more. The passenger sitting at the gate with a boarding pass in hand is paying the price of a conflict thousands of miles away, one surcharge at a time.