Jet Fuel Price Today: Live Chart & Price History

Jet fuel is a kerosene-type fuel refined for turbine engines, and its price is a major cost for every airline. Unlike gasoline, you cannot buy it at a pump, so there is no everyday retail price to point to. The figures on this page come from airline reports, which show what carriers actually paid, and not from a market quote.

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics collects fuel cost and consumption from certificated air carriers. Each figure below is the average cost per gallon across domestic and international flying, for the month named in its label. The data is published with a delay and is sometimes revised, so the most recent month can change.

The latest month in the data is shown in the answer above. The table lists the recent months and the same month a year earlier, which makes it easier to see how fuel costs have moved.

These are airline costs, so they include whatever the carriers paid under their fuel contracts and hedges. They do not match a daily spot price exactly.

A yearly average smooths out the monthly swings. The year-to-date figure covers only the months reported so far and will shift as more months are added.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration publishes a separate daily spot price for kerosene-type jet fuel on the U.S. Gulf Coast, which reflects wholesale trading. You can see it at eia.gov. The airline cost figure follows the same underlying market, but it lags it. Airlines buy at different times and places, often with contract terms that smooth out short spikes, and they report on a monthly basis.

Jet fuel follows crude oil closely, but other factors matter too:

• The price of crude oil, since jet fuel is a refined product.
• Refining capacity and how much of each barrel refiners choose to turn into jet fuel versus diesel.
• Seasonal travel demand and airline schedules.
• Regional supply, because fuel moved by pipeline or ship to an airport adds cost.
• Geopolitical events that disrupt crude or product flows.

Diesel and jet fuel come from a similar part of the barrel, so tight diesel markets can also lift jet fuel costs.

Fuel is one of the largest expenses for an airline, so fuel costs can influence ticket prices. The link is not automatic. Airlines weigh fuel against demand, competition, capacity and other costs, and they often adjust fares or routes with a delay. Fuel hedging, where an airline fixes part of its fuel price in advance, can also soften the effect of a sudden change.

If you fly a small aircraft, you will usually pay a posted price at an airport fuel desk, and it is generally higher than what airlines pay because of smaller volumes and added service costs. Piston aircraft use aviation gasoline, a different fuel from jet fuel. Check posted prices at your airport or fixed base operator for current rates.