Southwest Airlines raises airfares

© Southwest Airlines

Discount carrier Southwest Airlines joins the group of airlines who have recently announced airfare hikes due to rocketing fuel prices.

Airplane fuel prices have gone up by 55 per cent this year to $1.92 a gallon.

Recently all the major US airlines, including smaller discount carrier JetBlue said they had to increase airfares in order to stay afloat, but Southwest had not.

The airline, which is the world's largest and most profitable discount carrier, will increase ticket fares by as much as $8 for round-trip flights on Saturday.

Flights less than 600 miles will see an increase of $2 each way, while flights over 900 miles will see a $4 rise for each leg. Flights in between 600 and 900 miles will see a $3 rise each way. The airfare cap of $299 will not change.

Southwest spokeswoman Linda Rutherford told Bloomberg: "While we do have a good percentage of our fuel needs hedged, the amount where we are vulnerable has seen astronomical increases year over year."

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