Determine kerosene price: What does flying really cost?
As with driving, fuel is the biggest cost factor when flying. In this practical tip, we will tell you where the kerosene price is currently and what costs are incurred for a flight.
Aircraft kerosene price: what does the fuel cost?
- As with petrol, diesel and gas, the price of kerosene fluctuates. The price of kerosene is traded in gallons and US dollars. On January 7, 2019, the kerosene price was $ 1.7 per gallon. The current daily prices can be viewed on the website of the US Energy Information Administration.
- Kerosene is a by-product of diesel production. Kerosene is suitable for flying for various reasons, among other things it does not freeze like gasoline and diesel at the very low temperatures above the clouds.
Instructions: Determine kerosene price for air travel
- For the kerosene price, we choose the current price of $ 1.7 per gallon. At the moment, one US dollar corresponds to around 0.813 euros (as of April 16, 2018).
- First, we convert the price from US dollars to euros. A gallon of kerosene thus costs 1.7 x 0.87 = 1.48 euros.
- One gallon corresponds to 3.8 liters. The price of kerosene per liter is 1.48: 3.8 = 0.39 euros.
- On average, the airlines expect a consumption of 3.64 liters per person per 100 kilometers. If there is more luggage on board than usual, consumption increases slightly. This makes it clear why the airlines charge extra for excess baggage, because every kilo uses more kerosene.
- If you fly the approximately 1, 300 kilometers to Mallorca, one person consumes 1300: 100 x 3.64 = 47.32 liters of kerosene. This results in kerosene costs of 47.32 x 0.39 = 18.45 euros per passenger.
- On the other hand, if you fly 18, 000 kilometers to New Zealand, the kerosene costs are already around 282 euros per passenger.
In the next practical tip we will tell you which foods you should not eat before your flight.