Traveling has been a lot more expensive with all the high flight prices, and there’s a chance that those high prices won’t be going down anytime soon.

Due to the rising prices of oil and jet fuel, flying has been getting more and more expensive throughout 2026. However, it looks like travelers could be stuck paying high airfares even if the cost of oil and jet fuel go down, according to major U.S. airlines and industry analysts. Let’s take a look at what could be on the horizon!

Jet fuel prices skyrocketed earlier this year due to the war with Iran and have fluctuated ever since. They dropped a bit in the spring, then jumped back up in the summer. Due to the fluctuations, it’s been hard for airlines to plan ahead, giving them reason to be cautious about lowering ticket prices, said Brett House, an economist who teaches at Columbia Business School, according to ABC News.

According to ABC, major U.S. airlines said that higher passenger revenue initially covered only part of the soaring fuel costs. Which is why it’s not only flight prices that have gone up, but baggage fees as well. However, airfares haven’t been matching fuel prices all year long. The Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index plunged from an early April peak of $4.88 a gallon to a wartime low of $2.70 in June, but that never changed the average fares, as they remained elevated.

“Part of the disconnect between fuel prices and airfares comes down to timing,” said Brett House. “Airlines typically decide several months in advance how many flights to operate and seats to offer, factoring in expected fuel costs and other expenses. They begin selling tickets even earlier. While prices for seats on the same flight can change repeatedly, airlines can’t charge more for seats already sold if fuel prices suddenly spike.”

“It’s not just the level of fuel costs that is a problem or a challenge for airlines,” House said. “It’s also the volatility.”

Another issue is that airlines still need to make up for lost money. “When fuel prices jumped again in the summer, about 35% of United’s tickets for the final three months of the year were already booked and the airline could not increase those fares retroactively,” Chief Financial Officer Mike Leskinen said. “The airline expects to recover its higher fuel costs through revenue but not immediately,” he said.

While travelers are waiting for prices to solidify for the remainder of the year, there’s still a long way to go before the prices really start to drop to what we’ve seen before. In August, U.S. airfares were 23% higher than a year earlier, according to the Labor Department. Holiday flights are already encountering the highest airfares in a decade.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for more travel news. Hopefully, flight prices can start to drop close to what they were last year, but it may take some time. For all the latest, make sure to follow us at the Disney Food Blog.

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