Fyi. This question has been on my mind, and the article may help you make decisions. The flights I was looking at before the strikes on Iran are now @$200 more per ticket.
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
25933 posts
This might temper the rate increases a little bit:
US travel to Europe in January 2026 is showing signs of a decline
compared to previous, post-pandemic highs, with bookings from the US
to Europe down 7.3% between October 2025 and January 2026.
Posted by
Portland, OR
937 posts
Oh? Ok.
"Jet fuel has nearly doubled in price. Plane tickets will soon follow"
But maybe the NYT article covered that. Don't read the NYT.
Posted by
Oregon 🌲
525 posts
Remember the fuel surcharges in the past? That's where the fare increase will be. Even on fares purchased with points, the surcharge will need to be paid in cash.
Posted by
1 posts
Wondering if I should wait to book tickets for a trip to Italy in October/November or just bite the bullet and book them now- price rose over $300 per ticket in the last week.
Posted by
OP
1567 posts
I do remember those surcharges and am waiting to see what might happen with one paid and one frequent flyer ticket on Air France that we have for June.
It's not looking hopeful for the Straight of Homuz becoming more open anytime soon, sooooo. I am still hedging my bets on ticket prices going down for September/October.
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1728 posts
Remember that in general the big American frequent flyer programs do not add fuel surcharges on award tickets. I know this is true for UA and American. I believe that Delta may add them if you purchase a ticket originating in Europe but not for tickets originating in the US.
You are out of luck in general if your miles are with a foreign or European airline and especially if booking long haul tickets on BA
Posted by
Bay Area, California
1892 posts
I purchased my Europe air tickets three days after the Iran war started. Now, I see that the same flights are priced at 15% more.
Posted by
AZ 🌵
3549 posts
I bought RT Delta Comfort Extra (refundable) PHX/VCE for September in November. Glad I did. Price has gone up $1200 since, $1700 purchase to $2900 today when I checked. Before he-who-not-be-named’s war, the price was up to $2400.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
13420 posts
Wondering if I should wait to book tickets for a trip to Italy in October/November or just bite the bullet and book them now- price rose over $300 per ticket in the last week
On the news I saw recently the econ folks commented that oil/fuel prices go up like a rocket and come down like a feather.
Once the Strait is open again there will be a huge traffic jam of empty ships waiting to go through to get filled. It will take quite a while for the 'catch up' to happen.
If the Strait is open by the end of April my guess is gas prices will take until Nov/Dec to get back to what they were a month ago.
Not sure I would wait to buy in the hope prices drop the $300 they just went up.
Good luck
Posted by
75 posts
In January, we purchased tickets to France for April. Prices for our fare level rose approximately 20% as of last week, but we also expected them to rise as we near travel dates. We are budget travelers, but for the first time, purchased fully refundable tickets. The difference (between 1 year credit, and fully refundable) was about $150 per ticket, but for me, the full flexibility fare was well worth the extra "insurance". It allowed us to watch prices for any reductions (none that I caught), tweak our itinerary a few times, and provided full "cancel for any reason" ability, which most insurance policies to not.
For those of you planning a trip in the fall, perhaps a fully refundable ticket is worthwhile?