Tallahassee Reports has researched the price of aircraft fuel and found that Tallahassee Regional Airport offers above average fuel prices to its customers. The information was collected from internet websites that provide up-to-date fuel information for every airport in the nation.
There are two kinds of aircraft fuel: JET A fuel and 100LL fuel (AvGas). Jet A fuel is for turbine engines that power commercial airliners such as a Boeing 737. The 100LL fuel, or AvGas, is used for piston engines. This fuel is primarily used for propeller aircraft like a Piper Cherokee or Cessna 150.
The chart below shows a comparison of 100LL or AvGas prices per gallon between eight airports. The chart also includes the Southeast average price for AvGas.
Tallahassee has the highest price among the eight airports at $6.39 per gallon. The average price for this fuel type in the Southeastern United States is $5.11 per gallon. The lowest price is available in Quincy at $4.22 per gallon.
The last column in the chart shows the costs of 50 gallons of AvGas. This amount of fuel is approximately equal to the tank capacity of a Piper Cherokee. The chart shows that in Tallahassee it would cost $319.50 and in Quincy it would cost $211.00.
| Airport | 100LL-$/gallon | 50 Gallons |
| Tallahasee | $6.39 | $319.50 |
| Panama City | $6.02 | $301.00 |
| Pensacola | $5.49 | $274.50 |
| Valdosta | $5.34 | $267.00 |
| Southeast Average | $5.11 | $255.50 |
| Thomasville | $5.06 | $253.00 |
| Lakeland | $4.44 | $222.00 |
| Perry | $4.29 | $214.50 |
| Quincy | $4.22 | $211.00 |
The next chart shows a comparison of Jet A fuel, the fuel used by commercial aircraft. Once again, Tallahassee leads the group of 9 comparable airports with a price of $6.17 per gallon. The lowest price is in Columbia, South Carolina at $4.81 per gallon. The average price per gallon for this fuel type is $4.86 per gallon.
| Airport | JET-A-$/gallon | 10K Gallons |
| Tallahasee | $6.17 | $61,700 |
| Birmingham AL | $6.07 | $60,700 |
| Panama City | $6.01 | $60,100 |
| Pensacola | $5.63 | $56,300 |
| Gainesville | $5.41 | $54,100 |
| Lakleland | $5.24 | $52,400 |
| Thomasville | $5.07 | $50,700 |
| Baton Rouge, LA | $4.87 | $48,700 |
| Southeast Average | $4.86 | $48,600 |
| Columbia, SC | $4.81 | $48,100 |
The third column in the chart shows the cost of 10,000 gallons of fuel. This is the amount of fuel that might be needed by a commercial airliner. The cost of the fuel at Tallahassee Regional Airport would be $61,700. In Gainesville, the cost would be $54,100 and the average cost in the Southeast would be $48,600.
An important note to add, is that some of the highest Jet A fuel prices are at the larger airports. For example Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Orlando charge $7.92, $6.69, and $6.65 per gallon, respectively. Due to the high passenger traffic, these airports are desired destinations for airlines and therefore, can charge more for fuel because the airlines make more revenue per flight.
What is the impact of these fuel prices? According to the Air Transportation Association, “fuel is an airline’s second largest expense. Obviously, higher fuel prices cannot be a plus when trying to attract more flights.
In addition, the high price of 100LL gas would seem to encourage recreational flyers to fuel up at Quincy or Thomasville, rather than in Tallahassee.
Tallahassee Reports will continue to research this issue and try to determine who is setting fuel prices at the Tallahassee Regional Airport and who benefits from these prices.
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