Travel Tips

Southwest Joins Other Airlines In New Round Of Fare Increases

Following Competitors, Southwest Airlines Hikes FaresRising fuel costs forced Southwest Airlines to hike fares on the majority of its routes on Friday.

Southwest, the largest discount carrier in the United States, increased ticket prices by $5 system-wide.

The cost-conscious airline followed the lead of United, American, US Airways, Continental, Delta, Frontier, and JetBlue, which all raised their fares late Friday as well.

The participation of Southwest in the fare hike has many analysts hypothesizing that the price increase will be successful for the airlines, meaning that it will last in the competitive airfare marketplace.

Southwest has yet to be part of an unsuccessful fare increase. In fact, it is Southwest that often provides the competitive pressure that forces other airlines to roll back attempted fare increases.

Since December, the airline industry has been raising fares for both business and leisure travelers. This is only the third out of six times that Southwest has matched those fare increases.

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By Adriana Padilla on PeterGreenberg.com