U.S. airlines paid $6.66 billion for jet fuel in May, marking the second consecutive month that industry fuel spending exceeded $6 billion, according to government figures released Tuesday.
The May total was 84% above the same month a year earlier. In April, carriers spent $6.47 billion on fuel, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported.
The jump in spending has been driven largely by higher fuel prices, not by airlines burning substantially more fuel. U.S. carriers consumed 1.627 billion gallons in May, a 0.6% decrease from May 2025. April consumption was also slightly lower than it was a year earlier.
Airlines paid an average of $4.09 per gallon in May, the agency said, down marginally from $4.11 in April but still 85% higher than the $2.21 per gallon recorded in May 2025.
The pressure has been felt across the global airline industry, where carriers have moved to raise fares and fees while also cutting back some flight schedules. Fuel is routinely among airlines’ biggest operating expenses, making the sector highly exposed when energy markets shift sharply.
The latest data underscores the lingering effects of the energy price spike that followed the start of this year’s conflict in the Middle East, which disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passageway for global crude oil and fuel supplies.
Since the U.S. and Iran reached an interim ceasefire agreement, fuel prices have retreated from their spring peaks, giving airlines some relief after a costly stretch. Still, the pause in hostilities remains uncertain.
On Tuesday, three tankers were hit by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British military. The U.S. also revoked a license that had permitted Iranian oil sales under the agreement.
Delta Air Lines is set to report its second-quarter financial results on Friday, kicking off a wave of earnings reports from U.S. carriers. Executives are expected to discuss how recent declines in fuel prices could affect the industry’s finances going forward.
The average price for a gallon of jet fuel on Monday in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York was $2.90, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index, which tracks average daily prices across those key hubs.
