American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines raise roundtrip fares by $60

Three major airlines based in the United States – American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines – have increased fares by as much as $60 round trip to counter the phenomenal rise in prices of jet fuel.

American Airlines is the world’s largest airline in total passengers-miles transported as well as in passenger fleet size, the second-largest airline in terms of aircraft operated, and the second-largest airline company in the world in terms of total operating revenues. Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, American Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of the AMR Corporation. American Airlines operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, as well as flights to Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Japan, China, and India.

United Airlines, a major airline of the United States, is a subsidiary of UAL Corporation. Its biggest hub is O’Hare International Airport, Chicago. United also has hubs in Denver International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Los Angeles International Airport.

Delta Air Lines – based and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia – operates a large   domestic and international network, covering North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean

A statement from United Airlines said the biggest increases in fares apply on the longest routes and that fares on shorter flights, where discount carriers compete, would rise by $10 round trip.

An analyst of the ticket-research firm FareCompare.com has said that this is the 16th attempted fare increase in 2008. Airlines are upping fares, fuel surcharges and fees for checking luggage in an effort to check losses after prices of aviation fuel jumped by over 90% in the past year, he added.

American Airlines had said a few days ago that it would start charging some customers $15 to check one bag – thus becoming the first airline in the United States to charge such a fee.

The website bloomberg.com reported that while United Airlines was “seriously studying the luggage fee,” Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines and US Airways Group Incorporated were “evaluating the idea.”

The combined losses suffered by the major airlines in the United States in 2008 is likely to reach $7.2 billion, the website bloomberg.com quoted an analyst of JP Morgan Chase & Company as estimating.

Meanwhile, low-cost carrier AirTran Holdings Incorporated has raised fares by $30 roundtrip for leisure and $50 for business across most of its routes “in the face of ever-increasing fuel costs,” according to a statement from the company.