Do you have plans to fly this holiday season? It might be a good idea to book your flights now, given the rapid rise of jet fuel costs along with everything else in recent weeks. You can thank President Donald Trump and his war in Iran for those prices, of course.
Shortly before the Iran War started on Feb. 28, the average price for a gallon of jet fuel in the U.S. was $2.42 per gallon, according to the Argus Jet Fuel Index. That spiked to $4.88 by early April but sank in June to more historically normal levels before starting to climb again. The price on Sept. 11 was $4.43 per gallon.
The average domestic flight in the U.S. cost $390 on Aug. 31, according to Kayak’s airfare data dashboard, up from $290 a year ago. And prices are likely to rise as we get closer to the holidays without an end to the Iran War in sight.
Jet fuel prices are rising internationally as well, up 6.1% last week compared to a week earlier, according to the International Air Transport Association. The average cost of an international flight was $896 on Aug. 31st, higher than a year ago when it cost $705, but down considerably from a peak in May when it hit $1,106.
Fuel prices “uncomfortably high”
Avelo Airlines founder and CEO Andrew Levy told Fox Business on Sunday that fuel prices were “uncomfortably high” and that his airline would need to raise ticket prices if the cost of fuel remains elevated. “At the end of the day, we have to be able to pass these costs onto our customers,” Levy told the cable network.
Jet fuel isn’t the only thing that’s rising dramatically in price, as anyone who’s been to the grocery store or gas station recently can tell you. Diesel prices hit a record high on Labor Day and have continued to climb in the past week, hitting an average of $6.23 as of Monday.
Diesel touches so many different parts of the economy, since it’s used for trucking and can raise the cost of myriad goods, from groceries to auto parts. President Trump’s decision to launch a war in the Middle East, combined with his nonsensical tariffs, has driven prices of everything dramatically higher.
Wages aren’t keeping up with inflation
Workers are struggling under the weight of these pressures, with inflation rising faster than wages. Consumer prices rose 3.4% in August compared to a year earlier, while average wages rose just $3.1%, according to CNBC.
President Trump refuses to take any responsibility for the skyrocketing prices and depressed wages, posting to Truth Social on Monday that it was actually Joe Biden’s fault. Trump has been president since Jan. 2025, when inflation was 3%. Wages at that time had risen 4.1% compared to a year earlier.
Trump refuses to accept responsibility for the economy he’s created. “I hope everyone realizes that price increases throughout America were caused by Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, not by ‘TRUMP,’” the president falsely claimed.
“Even Oil was higher under Biden than it is right now, and we prevented Iran from having a Nuclear Weapon! With the temporary exception of Oil, prices are coming down sharply, and Oil will drop like a rock as soon as the Military Conflict with Iran is over, and that will not be long,” wrote Trump.
The Iran War is to blame
Saudi Arabia suffered a serious attack on its energy infrastructure last week when the drones launched from Iraqi territory hit the East-West oil pipeline, which stretches from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea. The pipeline, which can carry about 7 million barrels of oil per day, allowed Saudi Arabia to avoid shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which is tangled up by fighting between the U.S. and Iran. Only a limited number of tankers are getting through the Strait under U.S. military protection.
Before the attack on Sept. 10, roughly 4 million barrels of oil were running through the East-West pipeline, accounting for about 4% of the world’s oil production, according to the Wall Street Journal.
An oil refinery operated by Exxon Mobil in Joliet, Illinois, was hit with a power outage Sunday, which could disrupt gasoline and diesel refining in the U.S., according to Reuters. The refinery produces about 11 million gallons of fuel per day of gasoline and diesel fuel.
The cause of the power outage is under investigation, and while there’s been no information released that suggests it’s the result of a cyberattack, that possibility always comes into play given the heightened threat environment since Trump launched his war. Dozens of water treatment facilities have been targeted since Feb. 28, and while there have been minor disruptions, there hasn’t yet been a significant poisoning event.
When does this end?
Trump keeps insisting that Iran wants to make a deal to end the war, but there doesn’t appear to be any truth to his assertions.
“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly. I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage – The concept of which we are open to,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social.
President Trump wants Republicans to maintain control of Congress after the midterm elections this November, but that could depend on whether people feel like the economy is working for them. And right now the only people who feel like they’re doing well are the wealthy.
Las Vegas is the canary in the coal mine
The so-called K-shaped economy, when rich people see their wealth increase while the poor have less money in their pocket, can be seen in microcosm in a place like Las Vegas.
As the Nevada Current reports, Vegas has seen a 7.5% overall decline in visits this year, but specific demographics are seeing the sharpest drop in vacations to Sin City. Visitors aged 21 to 29 and first-time visitors (those most likely to have the least amount of money) have stopped going to Vegas. The top 10% of income earners are still able to make the trip.
The other demographic that’s skipping Vegas? Visitors from Canada. That’s a direct result of President Trump’s trade war with the country and threats to invade the sovereign nation to make Canada the 51st state in the U.S.
No matter which way you slice it, the pain that average Americans are feeling right now is Trump’s fault.
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