The Spanish low-cost airline Volotea has reportedly started to demand payment of an additional fuel surcharge from passengers who have already booked and paid for their flight tickets.
The measure is a sign of just how much pressure some airlines are coming under from surging oil prices caused by the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz after peace talks between the United States and Iran ended in deadlock on Saturday night.
Augmentation du prix de billet d’avion après achat
by u/Separate_Plenty8428 in conseiljuridique
Taking to Reddit, one French passenger shared a screenshot of an email he received from Volotea, explaining that he would be required to pay an additional surcharge before being allowed to board a flight he had already booked.
“We want to inform you of an important detail regarding your booking. As part of Volotea’s Fair Price Promise, which applies to your ticket and which you accepted during the purchase process, ticket prices may be adjusted based on changes in fuel costs related to the current situation in the Middle East.”
These adjustments may result in an increase or decrease in ticket prices,” the email continued.
In this case, the passenger was only required to pay an additional €7, and Volotea makes it clear that its terms and conditions allow it to legally add fuel surcharges after a booking has already been made and paid for.
Airlines around the world are responding to fuel price increases by raising their own ticket and fee costs, although it’s rare for a carrier to directly pass these price increases on to passengers with already confirmed tickets.
Multiple airlines in Asia have added fuel surcharges on new bookings, while some carriers are simply adjusting the base fare to cover increased fuel costs.
While unpopular, a surcharge is, at least, a very transparent way for consumers to understand why their ticket is more expensive, and, you would expect, the surcharge to be lowered or removed altogether once fuel prices go down.
In the case of more subtle pricing strategies, however, the ticket price might remain elevated even if fuel prices return to normal.
That’s exactly what Delta Air Lines chief executive Ed Bastian inferred last week during the airline’s Q1 2026 earnings call, suggesting Delta would retain some pricing strength from the crisis even after fuel prices stabilize.
Other fee increases are also likely to remain elevated even when fuel prices drop. Several US carriers have now increased checked baggage fees in response to fuel price increases, although these fees generally only ever go one way… up.
