Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, published the statement on X at 8:07 AM on Oct. 29. It reads in full:
“Thanksgiving flights are up nearly 40% from last year because of Trump and his Iran war.
With the cost of gifts and groceries already through the roof, Trump is making it even harder to enjoy the holidays.”
The Attached Article
Gillibrand attached to her post a New York Times article headlined “Attention, Passengers: High Airfares May Be Here to Stay,” published Oct. 24 and updated Oct. 25. Its subhead says ticket prices jumped after fuel costs spiked because of the war with Iran, but that airlines say even an end to the conflict will not bring fares back down quickly.
The article reports that September airfares were 22 percent higher than a year earlier, citing federal data. It also reports that the average round-trip domestic Thanksgiving flight is about $389, roughly 39 percent more than at this time last year, per the booking app Hopper. Christmas flights average $452, up 22 percent.
On fuel, the article says jet fuel prices nearly doubled in March and fell in the spring. They have climbed steadily since July and are now about as high as at any point since the United States and Israel began attacking Iran on Feb. 28. It says American Airlines and United each reported third-quarter fuel costs nearly $1.9 billion above the prior year, and that United said it had recaptured 72 percent of that cost.
The article also describes pressures beyond fuel. Landing fees and airport rents rose 9 to 14 percent at several airlines, and American, Delta and United spent 7 to 10 percent more on wages and benefits in the first nine months of the year. Spirit Airlines shut down in May, and Southwest is adopting bag fees and adding extra-legroom seats. United CEO Scott Kirby told analysts, “It’s expensive to fly airplanes,” and said fares must stay high because most airlines will lose money this year.
Background on Fuel and Fares
Reuters reported on March 9 that airlines were raising fares and adding fuel surcharges after the Middle East conflict sent jet fuel costs sharply higher. Reuters also reported that Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the fuel run-up increased the airline’s costs by as much as $400 million in March alone.
On May 15, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Richard Blumenthal and Martin Heinrich sent letters to six major airlines about fare and fee increases. The release said jet fuel rose from $2.50 on Feb. 27 to $4.51 by the end of April, an 80% increase. It cited United’s stated aim of passing the full fuel increase to passengers and asked for answers by May 29.
Gillibrand’s Record on the War and Costs
Gillibrand has linked the war to consumer prices since its early weeks. On May 1, the 60-day mark under the War Powers Resolution, she said gas had risen more than $1.30 a gallon since the president launched the war. She said the administration owed Americans a straight answer on what the U.S. is doing in Iran and when it ends.
On May 13, Gillibrand held a press conference saying New York’s average gas price of $4.59 was nearly 50 percent higher than a year earlier. She called the increase “a direct result of President Trump’s reckless war with Iran.” Her office said she toured the state that week, and that she “has voted yes multiple times on war powers resolutions.”
In April she was among six Democratic senators filing new war powers resolutions. On July 30 she led a resolution directing Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran absent congressional authorization, and the Senate rejected it by a single vote. In late September, both New York senators voted for House Concurrent Resolution 89, which also fell one vote short.
Her office has also tied the war to grocery and household costs. In July she toured New York after a federal report showed 4.2% annual inflation, and on Aug. 27 she cited a Joint Economic Committee report estimating New York households paid $5,000+ more for goods and services. Her statement said the average New York family had paid an additional $521 in gas costs.
Her holiday-cost messaging predates the war. On Nov. 24, 2025, she criticized the administration over Thanksgiving food costs, citing a 75% jump in wholesale turkey prices since October 2024 and the effect of tariffs. In a Dec. 17, 2025 release she urged an end to tariffs, and on July 23, 2026 she called for revoking new tariffs of at least 10 percent on goods from 60 trading partners.