A4A chief economist: US airlines face USD8.4bn net impact from higher fuel costs in 2026

Airlines for America (A4A) VP and chief economist John Heimlich, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas, stated (27-May-2026) US airlines are expected to pay an additional USD24.1 billion for fuel in 2026 due to elevated oil prices. However, Mr Heimlich said that the industry will offset approximately 60% of this increase through higher revenues. Mr Heimlich explained: "There'll be some adjustments to profit sharing, the net financial impact will be a USD8.4 billion hit. Now that coincidentally works out to exactly a 60% recapture of the revenue versus the fuel".