Pricy airfare, airport chaos test travelers
Travelers wait in line at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas, United States.
Mark Felix | Bloomberg | Getty Images
TOKYO/NEW YORK — Genevieve Price fancies herself a great flight hijacker.
The 35-year-old naturopathic doctor, who lives in San Diego, often buys basic economy tickets and then uses them when he visits family in New Jersey. Alaska Airlines Frequent flyer status to choose a seat is something that’s usually not allowed for these no-frills fares.
“I love traveling,” Price told CNBC at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on his way back from Rome.
But Price said he has his limits and plans to limit his spending to no more than $900 on flights to Rome, where his partner is from.
Consumers’ desire to fly is being put to the test this spring as rising fuel prices lead to higher airfares. Cathay Pacific, SAS, Finnair and others are among carriers that have already increased their fares.
Travelers are also having to deal with hour-long airport security queues in the U.S., leaving many frustrated as the second government shutdown in six months has hit the Transportation Security Administration.
Fuel and fees
Fuel was selling for $3.98 at major U.S. airports on Wednesday; This is up almost 60% since the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.
The conflict has spelled crisis for the aviation industry, especially in the Middle East, where airspace closures have forced carriers to cancel flights and use longer and more expensive routes.
Airlines will brief investors on long-term impacts from early next month but have taken immediate action. Upgrading airfares or increasing fuel surcharges on tickets to help offset rising costs.
United Airlines Airfares could rise 20% this year, CEO Scott Kirby told reporters at a company event in Los Angeles this week. Even though carriers are passing these higher fuel costs on to passengers, customers seem willing to continue booking, the official added.
Other airlines also said demand was increasing.
Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian told a JPMorgan industry conference earlier this month that demand has remained strong in recent weeks and the airline is “well positioned” to pare back the increase in fuel from its own sales.
US airlines have been in strong demand for years. International travel has been a strong point, especially for high-end leisure travel, which brings in so many visitors; As governments from Japan to Spain took steps to reduce overtourism, locals protested.
However, airline executives said they would cut flights if demand dropped.
“We will definitely be nimble in terms of capacity to ensure that supply and demand remain balanced.” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said at the JPMorgan conference.
Kirby told employees this month that United was preparing to ensure fuel prices remain high through next year, cutting capacity by about 3 percentage points during off-peak travel periods such as midweek and red-eye flights.
Wages increased
Some of the higher fees are already here.
Fares for flights from the United States across the Atlantic would rise to $1,059, up 26.5% from the previous week, with a three-week preemption, according to Deutsche Bank’s note on Monday.
Domestic flights also increased, including intercontinental flights and flights to and from Hawaii, the report said.
Mary Jean Erschen-Cooke, a nurse from Cuba City, Wisconsin, who left Tokyo for a 10-day trip to Japan with her husband Paul earlier this month, said she will be taking multiple family trips to the United States this year.
“We haven’t booked our flights, but we should,” she said, adding that she and her husband would consider flying. He stated that the increase in gasoline prices will also affect driving.
Security growls
TSA PreCheck line at terminal B at LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, on March 27, 2026.
Leslie Josephs | CNBC
Besides higher airfares, travelers are facing difficulties at airports this spring.
TSA officers have been working without regular pay since February 14 due to a stalemate in Congress over funding for the Department of Homeland Security. Nearly 500 TSA officers have resigned, according to DHS, and increased calls have led to staffing shortages at airports.
This has led to long security queues at major airports across the US, including Houston, New York and Atlanta. Wait times exceeded three hours in some locations; It took longer than some flights offered by these airports because the lines went around the terminals and outside the airports.
Elizabeth Leddy, a 38-year-old classical pianist who lives in New York, said she flies several times a year. Long security lines at LaGuardia Airport on Friday, which lasted nearly 90 minutes for TSA PreCheck passengers, may be a deterrent to doing so in the future.
“I feel like I can drive,” Leddy said, if the security line lasts three to four hours.
DHS blamed Democrats for the shutdown, which became the longest partial shutdown in U.S. history. On Friday afternoon, the Senate passed a potential deal. He ended the lockdown, feeling his fate was uncertain.
President Donald Trump also said he would sign an order to pay more than 50,000 TSA officers. TSA officers will begin receiving paychecks starting Monday, DHS said Friday.
The Trump administration sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to several U.S. airports this week, but DHS did not specify what their duties were. ICE officers, who are also under the DHS umbrella, are still getting paid during the partial shutdown.
ICE officers were seen monitoring security lines at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Friday morning.
“Even if this succeeds in reducing wait times slightly (we are still reading terrible wait times, so we are far from a major improvement), the presence of ICE may cause some people to be afraid to travel and upset that TSA workers are not getting paid,” Bernstein said in a note Thursday. “It looks likely that prospective passenger volume will soften in the coming days, and TSA’s annual growth this week turns slightly negative.”
