May fares could spike
Korean Air, Asiana, United and Emirates warned that May flights to the U.S. could see fares top 1 million won as fuel surcharges hit historic levels. (travelandtourworld.com) The notice positions May as a likely inflection point for consumers in South Korea facing sharply higher ticket costs. (travelandtourworld.com)
Flights from South Korea to the United States are set to get pricier in May, with airline fuel surcharges alone likely to push some round trips past 1 million won. (mk.co.kr) Maeil Business Newspaper reported on April 13 that Korean Air and Asiana Airlines were due to announce May international fuel surcharges on April 16. The paper said the Incheon–North America surcharge could reach about 550,000 won one way if the top tier is triggered. (mk.co.kr) Korean Air’s April surcharge already runs as high as 303,000 won one way on long-haul routes from Incheon, including New York, Chicago and Atlanta, or 606,000 won round trip. Korea JoongAng Daily reported that April’s international surcharge was based on a Singapore jet-fuel benchmark of 326.71 cents per gallon, which pushed carriers to level 18 under South Korea’s 33-step system. (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com) For May, the same report said the pricing window runs from March 16 to April 15, a period when oil prices kept climbing. Maeil said the average Mean of Platts Singapore, the fuel benchmark airlines use, was hovering around 465 to 475 cents per gallon, near the threshold for level 33, the highest band. (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com) (mk.co.kr) That benchmark matters because South Korean airlines do not set these fees flight by flight. Korea JoongAng Daily reported on March 15 that international surcharges begin once Singapore jet fuel tops 150 cents per gallon, then rise through 33 preset stages tied to route distance. (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com) The jump has been abrupt. In March, Korean carriers were at level 6 for international fuel surcharges; in April, they jumped to level 18, the biggest month-to-month increase since the current system was introduced in 2016, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com) The pressure is showing up on domestic tickets too. Korean Air and Asiana set their May domestic fuel surcharge at 34,100 won one way, up from 7,700 won in April, a 342.8 percent increase for Korean Air, according to the carriers’ disclosures cited by Korea JoongAng Daily. (koreajoongangdaily.joins.com) The broader fuel market has also turned sharply higher. The International Air Transport Association said its global average jet fuel price rose 7.1 percent week over week to $209.00 a barrel in the latest reading on its fuel monitor. (iata.org) Fuel fees are not unique to South Korean airlines. Emirates says its international fuel surcharge is set monthly based on the ticketing date, and its current fee for economy and premium economy tickets to the Americas is $322 one way from April 1, 2026. (emirates.com) United also applies fuel surcharges in some markets outside the United States. Its current tables show one-way surcharges on Hong Kong–United States tickets rising from Hong Kong dollar 1,164 for tickets issued on or after March 18, 2026, to Hong Kong dollar 1,560 for tickets issued on or after April 1, 2026. (united.com) For travelers buying South Korea–United States tickets, the timing now matters almost as much as the route. Emirates says the surcharge is fixed by the date the ticket is issued, not the departure date, and South Korean carriers are expected to publish their May numbers on April 16. (emirates.com) (mk.co.kr)
