All Six Major Airlines Jump On Board To Raise Airfares By Adding $20 In Fuel Surcharges

"Leisure and business travelers are seeing airfares increase almost on a weekly basis" - states Tom Parsons, CEO of Bestfares.com.  The new fuel surcharge on routes where the major airlines offer service with no competition from low-cost carriers is a whopping $130 roundtrip.  This fuel surcharge applies to both short-haul and long-haul flights.

"This is the 11th successful airfare increase since December 20, 2007.  This is also the 16th time the major airlines have attempted to raise airfares in the past five months" - states Parsons. 

When you combine the number of successful airfare hikes (six) and fuel surcharge hikes (five), leisure and business travelers on non-competitive routes, especially on routes over 1,500 miles, are paying $280 or more roundtrip since December 20, 2007.

"While travelers who need to travel between two non-competitive routes are taking a beating, we still see low cost airlines, such as Southwest, offering bargain- basement airfares as low as $58 roundtrip between routes such as Chicago and Indianapolis, Dallas and Tulsa, Houston and San Antonio, and between 12 other U.S. cities. Yet on similar short- haul flights, we see the fuel surcharge alone is up $130 roundtrip in five short months" - adds Parsons.

Listed below are the 16 attempts at airfare hikes and fuel surcharge increases that have taken place in the past five months. Eleven of these attempts were successful:

(1) Week of December 20, 2007: Major airlines raise fuel surcharges on leisure and Business Class fares from $10 roundtrip to $20 roundtrip. Total increase since December 18, 2007, $10 roundtrip.

(2) Week of January 7, 2008: Major airlines raise leisure and Business Class airfares by $10 roundtrip. Fuel surcharges still remain at $20 roundtrip. Total increase since December 18, 2007, $20 roundtrip.

(3) Weekend of January 11, 2008: United Airlines attempts to raise domestic airfares by adding a $30 roundtrip fuel surcharge to domestic airline tickets. Delta, American, Continental, US Airways and Northwest Airlines match. However, on January 14, 2008, Northwest rolled back their $30 fuel surcharge hike forcing the other major airlines, including United, to roll back their fuel surcharge increase. In other words, this attempt to raise airfares (by adding a $30 fuel surcharge) was a bust.

(4) Weekend of January 17, 2008: American Airlines attempts to raise domestic airfares by adding a $20 roundtrip fuel surcharge. Delta, United and Continental quickly match. Northwest Airlines and US Airways decline to match, forcing the other carriers to roll back their fuel surcharge. This attempted airfare fuel surcharge hike is a bust.

(5) Weekend of January 24, 2008: Major airlines double fuel surcharges on leisure and Business Class airfares from $20 to $40 roundtrip. Total increase since December 18, 2007, $40 roundtrip.

(6) Weekend of February 22, 2008: Major airlines raise airfares on both leisure and Business Class airfares $10 roundtrip. $40 fuel surcharge still in place. Total increase since December 18, 2007, $50 roundtrip.

(7) Weekend of February 29, 2008: Major airlines raise leisure and Business Class airfares $10 roundtrip. Total increase since December 18, 2007, $60 roundtrip.

(8) Weekend of March 7, 2008: Major airlines raise fuel surcharges from $40 to $50 roundtrip. Total airfare increase with airfare hikes and fuel surcharges since December 18, 2007, $70 roundtrip.

(9) March 14, 2008: United & Continental Airlines raised both leisure and business domestic airfares by $10 roundtrip on flights up to 500 air miles, $20 on flights 501 to 1000 air miles, $30 on flights 1001 to 1500 air miles, and a whopping $50 roundtrip on domestic flights over 1,500 air miles one-way. On March 15, 2008 American Airlines, Delta Airlines and US Airways matched the new fare hike. March 16, 2008 Northwest, the final hold out of the legacy airlines, matched United Airlines airfare increases. Total increase now as much as $120 roundtrip.

(10) Weekend of March 21, 2008: Delta Airlines raises fuel surcharges by $10 roundtrip. United Airlines was the only major airline to match the new increase. Delta Airlines and United Airlines were both forced to roll back the fuel surcharge increase. This attempted airfare fuel surcharge increase is a bust.

(11) March 27, 2008: Delta airlines raises domestic leisure airfares by adding a $10 fuel surcharge to most domestic airfares. This increase is also a bust when other carriers fail to match.

(12) April 10, 2008: United Airlines raises domestic airfares $10 - $30 in markets where they are not competing with low-cost carriers. All of the legacy carriers match and this one sticks. Total airfare increase now as much as $150.

(13) April 16, 2008: United Airlines raises domestic fuel surcharges by $10 to $20 roundtrip. At 8:00 a.m. CDT on Thursday, April 17, Continental and Delta Airlines match. American Airlines matched two hours after Continental and Delta, followed by Northwest Airlines later that day, and finally US Airways goes along that evening.

(14) April 24, 2008: United Airlines raises domestic airfares on most routes by three to five percent. American, Delta and Continental match the increase early the next day; Northwest and US Airways match another 24 hours later.

(15) April 29, 2008: Delta Air Lines raises domestic fuel surcharges by $40 roundtrip. American and United Airlines quickly matched the increase. Continental matched a day later. Northwest and US Airways match another 24 hours later.

(16) May 8, 2008: Delta Air Lines raises domestic fuel surcharges on both short-haul and long-haul flights by $20 roundtrip. American and United Airlines quickly match the increase. Continental, Northwest and US Airways match the increase the following day.

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