The post United Airlines CEO says fuel prices will hit first-quarter results appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, speaks during the WSJ’s Future of Everything 2025 at the Glasshouse on May 29, 2025 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images BOSTON — United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the spike in fuel prices since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday will have a “meaningful” impact on the carrier’s financial results this quarter, but he added that demand has been resilient. Jet fuel, airlines’ biggest expense after labor, has surged 58% since last Friday, going for $3.95 a gallon on Thursday, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index. “If it continues we’ll feel it in Q2 also,” Kirby said after an event Thursday afternoon where he discussed the future of air travel at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. United, like most major U.S. carriers, doesn’t hedge fuel, a practice where airlines or other companies lock in prices using futures contracts or other products. A Boeing 737-800 can hold 6,875 gallons of fuel, according to a manufacturer guide. “No one hedges anymore and even if you do, hedging the crack spread is really hard to do,” Kirby said. The crack spread is the difference between the price of crude oil and products like gasoline. When asked when the higher fuel costs will start affecting airfares, Kirby said it will “probably start quick.”  He added that travel demand has been resilient over all, with booked revenue up 20% from a year ago. Demand “has not taken even a tiny step back,” he said. Read more about the Middle East conflict’s travel impact Kirby spoke less than two weeks before airlines are set to attend a closely watched JPMorgan industry conference where airline executives often update their financial outlooks. His comments are an early sign…

---

Filed under: News - @ March 6, 2026 1:27 pm