Airlines, Airfare | featured news

Finally, good news from the gridlock in Congress. Or maybe not. The federal government Saturday stopped collecting taxes on airline tickets, so flying suddenly got cheaper, right? Wrong. Many airlines just increased their airfares to match the tax drop.

Celebrating its 40th birthday, Southwest Airlines started running a promotion that’s sure to turn a lot of heads. Fares start at $40 for one-way trips up to 450 miles, $80 for trips from 451 to 1,250 miles and $120 for trips over 1,251 miles.

Last week, I wrote about the relationship between fuel prices and airfare increases, and many of you balked, saying that fuel hedging keeps airlines from paying more for fuel. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

United Continental Holdings Inc., the world's biggest airline
company, scrapped its 2011 growth plans on Monday and said it will
cut unprofitable routes because of rising fuel prices.

Rising fuel prices have forced Southwest Airlines to raise ticket prices, but the Dallas-based carrier is also focusing on efficiency measures to lower its fuel consumption, president and CEO Gary Kelly said Monday.

The most recent attempt by U.S. airlines to boost fares has been cut in half by pressure from discount carriers. Last week, the big network carriers including United, Continental, Delta and American raised many domestic fares by $20 a round trip. By Monday afternoon, the increase had been cut to $10.

DOT has done something that only a few years ago would have been unthinkable by proposing new regulations covering everything from airfare disclosures to peanut allergies.

AirTran and Southwest set off a flurry with sales that began Monday and were soon matched by American, Delta, US Airways and ...

Leading discount airlines have launched a new round of airfare sales for summer, but travelers may have to act fast and be flexible on dates to grab the best deals.