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| World Home » Current Affairs » | Sun. May 11, 2008 |
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Air Travelers Need to Pack More Money MIL/NYT, May 9, 2008. May 9, 2008 - Air travel these days is an adventure with many surprises, some of them unpleasant. hat also describes the process of simply buying a ticket. Airlines have raised fares or increased surcharges, partly to cover the rising cost of jet fuel, at least 10 times so far this year — most recently on Thursday, when American Airlines and Delta Air Lines raised ticket fees again. The increases have wiped out many of the discounts the carriers offered in 2007 to fill planes. Full-fare coach tickets on some transcontinental routes, like Los Angeles to Philadelphia, now cost more than $1,000 round trip. Leisure fares, bought in advance, are back to what passengers paid in 2006, or about $230 round trip on average, according to Robert Harrell of Harrell Associates, which tracks air fares. Business-class tickets are up 30 percent from the recent lows touched three years ago, when Delta cut fares sharply, Mr. Harrell said. But those figures do not include higher charges and fees, particularly for the higher price of fuel, which has jumped more than 63 percent over this time last year. On some airlines, fuel fees are more than $100 round trip for domestic flights, and $300 and up for overseas flights lasting nine hours or more. The fare and fee increases are an attempt by airlines to alleviate the latest wave of financial pain afflicting the industry. A number of major carriers posted losses in the first quarter, while a half-dozen smaller carriers have filed for bankruptcy protection or announced plans to cease operations during the past month. High fuel prices are pushing big airlines like Delta and Northwest to merge, while US Airways and United are discussing a deal. Several major airlines have announced plans to eliminate flights over the next few months in a bid to reduce expenses. Fewer seats in the sky give the airlines more power over pricing, allowing them to push through these increases even as the economy softens. More:
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