DALLAS (AP) -- United and Continental airlines are bumping up prices again, just a week after raising fares because of high fuel costs.
A spokesman for United Continental Holdings Inc. said that his company raised prices on Tuesday night by $4 to $10 per round trip.
Officials for Delta and American said Wednesday that they matched the increase, while Southwest and US Airways spokesmen said their airlines had not. JetBlue and Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond for comment.
Industry officials are closely watching Southwest's reaction because it strongly influences prices on many U.S. routes. Just last week, Southwest raised many fares by $10 per round trip, a move that was widely copied by other airlines.
J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker was skeptical that low-fare carriers, particularly Southwest, would match this week's increase so soon after the previous fare hike. That could force United and the others to roll back their increases.
Still, Baker said, the attempt to raise prices showed that travel demand was still strong, "And that, in our view, is more relevant than whether this particular increase takes root."
Airlines have raised fares twice already in 2012 after about 10 increases last year. With crude oil prices on the rise, jet fuel has increased about 8 percent in 2012 and about 12 percent since the same period in 2011, according to government figures.
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