September International Fuel Surcharge Jumps 7 Tiers... Round-Trip to New York Up by W190,000

Due to rising international oil prices, the fuel surcharges levied on international airline tickets for next month will see a sharp increase.

According to the aviation industry on today (the 18th), Tier 21 will be applied to international fuel surcharges for tickets issued in coming September.

This is up 7 tiers from Tier 14 applied this month, marking the highest level in three months.

For Korean Air, the fuel surcharge per route will increase by up to 94,800 won on a one-way basis.

On a round-trip basis, it will increase by 189,600 won.

The one-way international fuel surcharge for September will be 48,000 won for short-haul routes with a great-circle distance of 500 miles or less—such as Incheon to Shenyang, Qingdao, Dalian, Yanji, and Fukuoka, and Busan to Fukuoka and Shanghai Pudong—marking a 12,800 won (36.4%) increase from this month's 35,200 won.

The burden for long-haul routes will be even greater.

For long-haul routes with a great-circle distance of 6,500 to 9,999 miles—such as Incheon to New York, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, and Toronto—the one-way fuel surcharge will rise from 259,200 won this month to 354,000 won next month, an increase of 94,800 won (36.6%).

The benchmark oil price for September's international fuel surcharge was calculated at an average of 355.46 cents per gallon (149.29 dollars per barrel) from July 16 to the 15th of this month.

This represents a significant increase compared to the average oil price during the calculation period for August fuel surcharges from June 16 to July 15, which was 283.48 cents per gallon (119.06 dollars per barrel).

On a per-barrel basis, prices rose by 30.23 dollars (25.4%) over the span of a month.

International fuel surcharges are a system through which airlines reflect part of the cost burden caused by rising oil prices onto fares, and they are charged separately on air tickets.

The surcharge amounts vary depending on the airline and flight distance.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.