Airlines increase fares up to $20

as their fuel costs soar into the blue
As if on cue, airlines are responding to oil's latest surge by pushing ticket prices even higher.
Roundtrip domestic fares began rising $10 to $20 or more late Thursday, as crude futures crossed the once-unthinkable $100-a-barrel mark. Several major carriers increased prices, with each citing higher fuel costs as the reason.
The widespread increases follow nearly two dozen attempted systemwide fare hikes in 2007, or about double the number during the previous year,

Passengers hoping for relief in the new year are likely to be disappointed.
"If oil stays at $100 a barrel, or if it creeps up even higher, I don't see how this is going to stop," FareCompare Chief Executive Rick Seaney said in an interview. "Airlines are going to be scrapping to keep their heads above water."
United Airlines, the second-largest U.S. carrier, led with the biggest round of increases Thursday night