NEW YORK — Holiday travelers may want to lock in airfares now because they’re going up.
Major airlines are joining in the first widespread airfare increase since early August. The hike was initiated by Delta Air Lines Inc. late Tuesday when it raised fares by $4 to $10 on round-trip flights across most of its U.S. routes, according to Rick Seaney of . Soon after, United Continental Holdings Inc. matched the increases.
By early Wednesday, every other major airline had raised fares, including Southwest, according to JPMorgan’s Jamie Baker.
Airlines have tried to raise prices as many as 19 times this year. Half of those attempts have failed. The ones that have succeeded have brought average fares up by $58 to $70, said Citi analyst Will Randow.
Higher fares weren’t enough to prevent another loss last quarter at American Airlines parent AMR Corp., which blamed high fuel costs. The Associated Press
