Jet fuel 4 min read · updated Nov 9, 2026
Jet fuel prices explained
Why the Gulf Coast spot price is the benchmark, and how it reaches airfares and air-freight surcharges.
There is no public "pump price" for jet fuel. Airlines buy under contracts tied to wholesale benchmarks, and the most widely used U.S. benchmark is the EIA's U.S. Gulf Coast kerosene-type jet fuel spot price.
Who watches it
- Air cargo and express carriers index their fuel surcharges to it weekly or monthly.
- Airlines hedge part of their fuel and pass the rest through fares.
- Shippers see it in air-freight surcharges a week or two later.
Why jet fuel tracks diesel
Jet fuel and diesel are both middle distillates from the same part of the barrel, so they usually rise and fall together. See both on the jet fuel page.