Jet Fuel Up 90%! Airfare Hikes Loom as Shipping Lines Slash Routes Before Holy Week
If you're planning to travel this Holy Week, better brace yourself — because getting anywhere just got a whole lot more expensive. With jet fuel prices in Asia surging by a jaw-dropping 90 percent year-on-year, airline ticket costs are about to follow suit, and ferry operators have already started cutting trips and hiking fares.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), jet fuel prices have shot up 58 percent to $157.41 per barrel as of March 6 — compared to just $99.40 per barrel on February 27, before the US-Israel military operations against Iran triggered a cascade of Middle East violence. Asia has been hit hardest, recording the steepest jet fuel price increase globally at 77 percent, largely because the region depends heavily on Middle Eastern oil.
The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) may soon be forced to adjust fuel surcharges for the first time in eight months. Currently set at Level 4, airlines can charge passengers P117 to P342 on domestic flights and up to P2,867 on international trips. But with jet fuel prices nearly doubled, that level clearly won't hold for long. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have already canceled 48 flights to the Middle East so far.
Meanwhile, the shipping industry is getting hammered just as hard. OceanJet has suspended eight daily trips in the Visayas until March 20, while SeaCat yanked its Cebu-Catbalogan and Cebu-Baybay routes indefinitely. Montenegro Shipping is imposing a 20 percent fare hike starting March 23, and Jomalia, Super Shuttle Ferry, and others have slapped fuel surcharges across the board — all citing a 40 percent spike in bunker fuel costs.
The timing couldn't be worse. The Philippine Ports Authority recorded 2.29 million passengers during Holy Week 2025 — a 37 percent jump from the year before. Many Filipinos prefer ferries over flights during Lent precisely to save money, but with both options getting pricier, this year's balik-probinsya plans might need a serious budget rethink.
Source: Philstar.com
