a b s t r a c tJet fuel accounts for a large portion of passenger airlines' operating costs, and airlines' earnings are susceptible to swings in the price of jet fuel. This study uses daily data over the past two decades to determine the minimum variance hedge ratio for airlines wishing to hedge jet fuel price risk with futures, while also establishing the best cross hedging asset. Airlines hedging with futures would create the most effective hedge by using heating oil futures contracts with a 3-month maturity. We also find that beyond the 3-month veil, increased time to maturity makes heating oil less effective as a cross hedge proxy for jet fuel. However, both in-sample analysis and Monte Carlo simulation results with daily data show that none of the 4 cross hedge proxies, including heating oil, can be considered highly effective.

Large and unpredictable swings in fuel prices create financial uncertainty to airlines. While there are the risks for going unhedged, airlines that hedge to mitigate fuel price risk face the basis risk. This paper examines whether the length of hedge horizon and distance to contract maturity affect the effectiveness of jet fuel cross hedging. Understanding the effects of hedge duration and futures contract maturity helps improve airline’s fuel hedging strategies. We find that (1) regardless of the distance to contract maturity, weekly hedge horizon has the highest effectiveness for jet fuel proxies like heating oil, Brent, WTI, and gasoil; (2) heating oil is the best jet fuel proxy for all hedge hori-zons and contract maturities; and (3) the hedge effectiveness of heating oil is higher for one-month and three-month contracts.

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