Round-trip to U.S. to Cost Extra 1.13 Million Won as Record-High Level 33 Fuel Surcharge Becomes Reality

As the war in the Middle East drags on, an all-time high fuel surcharge on international flights in May has become a reality, The Financial News reported. Korean Air will apply an international fuel surcharge at a record-high Level 33 for tickets issued from May 1. For routes from Korea to North America, passengers will pay up to about 500,000 won more for a round trip compared with this month, an increase of more than 2.1 times the current surcharge.
Korean Air announced on the 16th that it will apply an international fuel surcharge at the highest Level 33 under the current system for tickets issued from May 1. As a result, passengers on routes from Korea to North America will face an additional burden of up to about 500,000 won for a round trip compared with this month, pushing the total surcharge to roughly 2.1 times the current level.
For May, fuel surcharges by distance band range from a minimum of 75,000 won to a maximum of 564,000 won. A fuel surcharge is an amount airlines add to fares to offset higher fuel costs, and each carrier sets it monthly under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s distance-based system.
The latest surcharge was calculated based on the average fuel price from February 16 to March 15. During that period, the average price of jet fuel in Singapore, measured by Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS), was 511.21 cents per gallon, which falls into Level 33 (470 cents or more per gallon), the highest tier under the current framework. This is the first time Level 33 has been applied since the current system was introduced in 2016.
Fuel surcharges have surged in just two months. They were at Level 6 in March, jumped to Level 15 this month, and will soar to the maximum level in May.
By route, short-haul segments of 499 kilometers or less will see the surcharge rise from 42,000 won to 75,000 won, an increase of 79%. Medium- to long-haul routes of 2,000 to 2,999 kilometers, such as Bangkok and Singapore, will see the surcharge more than double, from 123,000 won to 253,500 won.
Long-haul routes of 6,500 to 9,999 kilometers, including Incheon–New York City, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Toronto, will see the surcharge climb from 303,000 won to 564,000 won, an 86% increase. Routes in the 5,000 to 6,499 kilometer band, such as Incheon–London, Los Angeles (LA), and Paris, will see an 81% hike, from 276,000 won to 501,000 won.
The actual cost burden on travelers will also rise sharply. For example, a round-trip ticket from Incheon to Los Angeles on June 1 costs about 2.33 million won if issued today, but issuing the same ticket in May would cost around 2.9 million won, adding 576,000 won in just a month and a half.
Asiana Airlines is following a similar path. Its surcharge will jump from Level 18 this month (one-way 43,900 to 251,900 won) to Level 33 in May (85,400 to 476,200 won). The previous peak was Level 22 in July and August 2022 during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
An Asiana Airlines official said, "In response to high oil prices driven by the war in the Middle East, we have entered emergency management, including cutting operating costs and flexibly adjusting routes," adding, "We will minimize the cost burden through fuel hedging and optimizing our refueling strategy."
Low-cost carrier (LCC) operators such as Jeju Air and T'way Air are also expected to announce their fuel surcharges for next month in the near future.
The industry is increasingly concerned about deteriorating profitability. One industry source noted, "In May, when airlines need to make up for weak earnings in the off-peak months of March and April, the sharp jump in fuel surcharges is creating a structure where operating more flights only deepens losses," and added, "There is also serious concern that higher travel costs will dampen demand."


hoya0222@fnnews.com Kim Dong-ho Reporter