Major fare hike on Southwest, others

The Associated Press is reporting that Southwest has raised its fares by as much as $10 each way on some routes, its largest increase [% 321397 | | since March %]. The fare hike went into effect last Friday, and other carriers rushed to match, including AirTran, American, Continental, Frontier, Delta, Northwest, and United.

Southwest spokeswoman Paula Berg said Southwest raised fares by $10 on flights longer than 1,000 miles, and $3 on flights more than 751 miles. It also raised its price cap on refundable tickets to $319. Berg commented that “We earned $548 million last year and our fuel is expected to be $800 million higher this year. Something has got to be done about it.”

Until fuel prices start to drop, you can expect more fare hikes from all carriers throughout the summer and fall.