U.S. government data show that U.S. airlines’ jet fuel costs rise sharply in March, the first full month after the Iran war begins. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, fuel spending increases by 56.4% compared with February. The data also indicate that total fuel expenditures for U.S. scheduled service airlines reach $5.06 billion in March. Industry and monitoring outlets report the same figures, describing the jump as a rapid escalation over a short period. Skift frames the change as fuel spending exceeding $5 billion and notes that the increase is more than 50% since the start of the Iran war. Across the reports, the key point is that airlines’ fuel bills move up materially month-to-month immediately following the outbreak of the conflict, with the DOT data providing the specific percentage change and the March total. The figures are based on U.S. scheduled service airlines’ reported fuel expenditures and are presented as official government statistics.