Classes end in 2 weeks and students will have to plan fights to either go home, travel abroad, or even to study abroad, but due to fluctuating gas prices and new airline fees plane tickets could be costlier this summer.
Airline fares increased 1.9 percent in March and have continually increased over the past year, according to the federal bureau of Labor Statistics.
“My parents complained that tickets to Korea for our family were a lot pricier this summer than they have been previously,” said Sarah Yun, a sophomore education major.
Fuel costs have been rising in recent months but the turmoil in the Middle East has caused also oil prices to increase sharply.
To make up for the rising cost of fuel prices, airlines have raised their airfare eleven times already this year, according to an article in the Boston Globe.
Also, various airlines have increased surcharges for “peak” travel in the summer and international flights and have tried also raised other smaller fees such as fees for a variety of overweight bags.
Karen Guzman, a sophomore sociology major who is currently studying abroad in Australia, said flights from Sydney to Melbourne are more than $100 now when before they were a little less than $40, which will make it a little costlier to explore the country.
The higher fees and airfares may discourage students from traveling abroad and may also cause an economic stress on students who are studying aboard in the summer, during the peak traveling time from July to August.