Jet Fuel Just Hit an All-Time High and Airlines Are Bleeding

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0:10Jet fuel just hit a record high. Deadly disasters in the Himalayas are forcing tour operators to rethink routes, and Houthi missile strikes knocked out more than a quarter of Saudi Arabia's flights. This is Bailey Schulz, Skift's Global Tourist reporter. Welcome back to the Skift Daily Briefing. It's Friday, October 9th. Let's get into it. First up, airline earnings season kicks off today with Delta, and plenty of carriers are expected to post record revenue. The catch? Fuel is eating most of it. Jet fuel averaged an all-time monthly high of$4.37 a gallon in September. By Thursday afternoon, that had climbed to$4.50.

0:51Prices have been volatile since the Iran war began and have crept higher as the fighting intensified. Delta, United, Southwest, and Allegiant appear to be on track for a profit this year, while American and JetBlue could each post a pre-tax loss of roughly$8 billion. Airlines have answered with higher fares, more fees, fewer seats, and more premium cabins. Domestic fares are up about 32 % from last year, according to Kayak. So far, demand is holding, but one analyst warns that another round of aggressive hikes could test demand. Next up, Houthi strikes on airports are rippling across Gulf Aviation.

1:30More than a quarter of all departures from Saudi Arabia were disrupted Thursday as Iran-aligned Houthi rebels stepped up attacks on airports. Europe's aviation safety regulator, had already told airlines to stay out of Saudi airspace, and the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh warned American citizens on Wednesday to expect possible flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruption. Whiz Air on Thursday pushed its return to Dubai and Abu Dhabi from October to March of 2027, saying the longer detours make those routes commercially unviable. The attacks show how quickly contact can shut down Gulf aviation hubs, leaving airlines and travelers with little warning to reroute or rebook.

2:13And finally, climate risk is now part of day-to-day planning for tour operators in the Himalayas. On September 27th, an avalanche killed at least 15 workers who were fixing ropes ahead of a climb. That came about a month after catastrophic flooding near the Tibet border, caused by glacial rock and ice collapsing. Authorities say at least 1 ,455 people died, and more than 5 ,000 are still missing. A new report finds glaciers are melting 65 % faster than a decade ago, but only about one-tenth of one percent of the region's roughly 40 ,000 glaciers are monitored. So operators are relying on what they see on the ground.

2:51Intrepid Travel sent its local operations manager to drive the damaged roads and decide which trips to reroute and which to cancel. Erdenbach Adventures says heat-triggered rockfall and icefall. Now factor in to its daily safety calls. That's it for your SCIFT daily briefing. For more on travel industry news, visit Skift.com and sign up for our newsletter at Skift.com backslash daily.