US jet fuel prices have surged 95 per cent since the start of the war with Iran, and the cost is now landing squarely on consumers. Amazon, major airlines, and the US Postal Service have all introduced fuel surcharges or raised fees in recent weeks, while defence contractors and oil producers are posting sharp financial gains.
United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby laid out the scale of the problem in a 20 March memo to staff. Fuel prices had more than doubled in three weeks, he said, projecting an extra $11 billion (£8.3 billion) in annual jet fuel costs if they stayed at current levels. 'For perspective, in United's best year ever, we made less than $5 billion,' Kirby wrote, CNN reported.
