Rising cost of jet fuel causing flight problems
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - You know that pain you feel at the pump? It's about to get excruciating at the airport.
Airfares are rising, carriers are canceling flights, and you can attribute it all to the climbing cost of gas.
It is an airline's biggest expense. Every day, the country's carriers buy 48 million gallons of fuel and in the past year, their costs have soared 40% on it.
Airlines say they can't afford all of the routes they used to schedule. And in South Carolina, it looks like one may not be able to fly at all. Public charter airline Direct Air has canceled all of its flights due to a so-called fueling issue. One stranded passenger said he learned the problem was this: "the financial issues that the company was facing," he says. "Whether or not they had the ability to have those funds, and have that fuel approved. Because, apparently, you have to go through approval to even get fuel."

















