A fare increase of $5 each way that was launched by major airlines last week gained traction in most markets over the weekend as legacy carriers struggled to offset rising costs, experts said Monday.
Bankrupt Delta Air Lines was the first to raise fares last week on flights within the continental United States. The move was quickly matched by rivals.
"This represents the second broad-based domestic increase, out of four attempts this year," said JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker in a research note.
Some airlines, however, rolled back the increase in secondary markets, said Neil Bainton, with air fare research firm FareCompare.com.
Several recent attempts to raise fares have failed. U.S. carriers, meanwhile, face rising maintenance and labor costs, and jet fuel prices remain at historically high levels.
The two most recent attempts were mostly rescinded after rivals didn't match.
The carriers that participated in the $5 fare hike were Delta, AMR Corp's American Airlines, UAL Corp's United Airlines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways Group.
No. 6 U.S. carrier Southwest Airlines did not match the increase.
United said Monday that it rescinded the portion of the increase that applies to markets were it faces low-cost competition.
Strong demand for air travel has enabled airlines to raise fares over the last year. The higher fares have boosted revenues and led to profits.
