Airlines Boost Air Fares Again

The up-and-down air fares went back up Tuesday - this time, likely to stay up for awhile.

“The demand for that type of fare, which is basically a business-type fare, is extremely heavy,” said Bill Berry, a spokesman for Delta Air Lines, which along with other major carriers Tuesday reinstated 5 percent fare increases.

Delta and some other carriers had dropped the 5 percent increases Monday morning during competitive jockeying aggravated by an apparent mistake after prices were boosted late last week.

“We’ve had yo-yos before, but this one was a snafu,” said Tom Parsons, editor of Best Fares Discount Travel Magazine, which tracks airline fares daily.

“It’s not supposed to be like this,” said Jon Austin, spokesman for Northwest Airlines, which started the price scramble last week by jumping its unrestricted walkup fares by 5 percent.

Other major carriers followed suit, and added the 5 percent increase to other fares.