Ease of Travel

In a USAToday article (printed at Yahoo! Finance), it was reported that four major airlines (American, United, Delta and Northwest) will be raising rates because of high fuel costs. United jacked up rates by 3% across the board, Northwest increased domestic prices by 3%, and American and Delta added a $5 increase on each way of a flight. Only Continental stood pat. These big airlines are being attacked from both sides as they try to extricate themselves from their financial problems - rising costs versus low prices of their low-budget competitors… a rock and a hard place.

The only positive for these airlines is that the flights across the Atlantic have risen along with demand, especially during the June - August timeframe when discounts are impossible. Also of note, domestic fares have increased seven times since February, mostly in areas where the discount airlines don’t service. The article is worth reading as it discusses how the prices have fluctuated the past few quarters.