{"id":39672,"date":"2026-04-15T16:27:02","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/?post_type=opinion&p=39672"},"modified":"2026-04-22T10:57:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T09:57:36","slug":"british-summer-beach-holidays-risk-jet-fuel-shortage-opinion","status":"publish","type":"opinion","link":"https:\/\/aerospaceglobalnews.com\/opinion\/british-summer-beach-holidays-risk-jet-fuel-shortage-opinion\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Former pilot explains why British summer beach holidays are at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Marco Chan is a Senior Lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University and a former airline pilot. A systems-focused aviation expert, he regularly comments for the BBC, Sky News, Reuters and The New York Times.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

Why your beach holiday is at the bottom of the airline \u2018triage\u2019 list<\/h2>\n\n\n

Right now, aviation bosses are war-gaming a summer of scarcity.<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0We are not\u00a0in the midst of\u00a0a\u00a0\u201cfuel-out\u201d crisis, but\u00a0the odds\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0looking great. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half of Europe\u2019s jet fuel flows through the Strait of Hormuz,\u00a0and\u00a0costs\u00a0have\u00a0nearly doubled\u00a0since the\u00a0Gulf conflict flared up. That means\u00a0the industry is quietly drawing up a \u201chit list\u201d of routes to cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sad
Photo: Alina Rosanova | stock.adobe.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But if\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0waiting for a dramatic announcement at the check-in desk,\u00a0you’ll\u00a0be waiting a long time. This crisis\u00a0won\u2019t\u00a0start with sirens. It will start with a quiet email telling you your flight to Malaga has been \u201cconsolidated\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

\n \n Also read: American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are the latest to raise bag fees as jet fuel costs double<\/span>\n Also read: American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are the latest to raise bag fees as jet fuel costs double<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n\n

When jet fuel gets tight, airlines don\u2019t panic: They triage.\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n

It\u2019s\u00a0a cold financial calculation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A\u00a0flight from London to New York is a \u201cBig Beast\u201d.\u00a0It is packed with high-paying business travellers and connecting passengers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If an airline cancels one of those, they ruin a hundred other connections across its network. Those routes are therefore effectively bulletproof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Virgin
Photo: Virgin Atlantic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But a twice-daily budget trip to the Med?\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0an easy sacrifice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If an airline can merge two half-empty flights to Ibiza into\u00a0one or\u00a0tell passengers to take the train,\u00a0they’ll\u00a0do it in a heartbeat to save the fuel for the long-haul money-makers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

Tankering fuel tactics could mean higher fares and more charges<\/h2>\n\n\n

Airlines are also turning to a tactic called\u00a0fuel\u00a0tankering<\/a><\/span><\/strong>,\u00a0loading extra fuel at airports where supply is stable, to avoid refuelling at destinations where\u00a0it’s\u00a0scarce or expensive.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s\u00a0a legitimate and\u00a0frequently\u00a0used operational tool, but not a cheap one: a heavier\u00a0aircraft\u00a0burns more en route, so the sums\u00a0must\u00a0stack up carefully. When they\u00a0don’t, that cost finds its way into surcharges and quietly disappearing cheap fares.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201ccrack-spread\u201d – the cost of turning crude oil into jet fuel \u2013 has quadrupled. We are entering a two-tier summer. While the US is buffered by its own refineries, British travellers are exposed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, the question\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0whether\u00a0you can afford the flight \u2013\u00a0it’s\u00a0whether the airline thinks your holiday is worth the\u00a0fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n \n Read more expert opinions on aerospace matters in our dedicated section here<\/span>\n Read more expert opinions on aerospace matters in our dedicated section here<\/span>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former airline pilot and aviation expert Marco Chan explains how rising fuel costs are forcing airlines to prioritise profitable routes, and why British travellers may be first to feel the impact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":39673,"template":"","categories":[66,10720,6],"tags":[350,7297,3622,537,4555,10802,7663],"class_list":["post-39672","opinion","type-opinion","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-transport","category-routes","category-trending-articles","tag-fuel","tag-iran","tag-jet-fuel","tag-middle-east","tag-routes","tag-short-haul","tag-united-kingdom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOpinion: Brits summer beach holidays at risk amid jet fuel shortage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Marco Chan, a former airline pilot and academic, explains why British summer holidays are exposed to the jet fuel shortage.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link 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