=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2008/05/23/financial/= f083712D90.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, May 23, 2008 (AP) United Airlines raises fares up to $60 roundtrip By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer (05-23) 08:37 PDT New York (AP) -- United Airlines ratcheted up the pressure on fliers ahead of the holiday weekend, raising most domestic fares by as much as $60 roundtrip to offset the runaway cost of fuel. A representative for the second-largest U.S. airline also said Friday the Chicago-based carrier is "seriously considering" following AMR Corp.'s American Airlines in charging passengers to check their first piece of luggage. "It's part of all the work that we're doing to try to offset fuel costs," spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said. The ticket price increase, which went into effect late Thursday, will leave travelers paying $10 to $60 more, depending on how far they fly and the competition on the route. The biggest increase affects routes of 750 miles or more — less than the distance from New York to Chicago — that low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines Co. do not serve. Airlines have come under intense pressure to boost revenue and cut costs as the price of fuel has soared. As of Monday, spot prices for jet fuel in New York were up 43 percent from the start of the year, according to the Energy Information Administration. UAL Corp.'s United has been among the most aggressive carriers in pushing fares and fuel surcharges higher in recent months, and its increases are often rapidly matched by competitors. Airlines are prohibited from agreeing to simultaneously raise fares, but nothing prevents them from following rivals' lead. "Will the other legacy airlines match? To that I respond: Do they really have a choice? I would be surprised if we don't see wide spread matching over the long weekend," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of airfare research site FareCompare.com, in an e-mail. American Airlines became the first major domestic carrier on Wednesday to say it would charge passengers $15 to check their first bag. On Wall Street, airline stocks came under pressure as oil prices resumed their climb, with benchmark light, sweet crude rising $2.18 to $132.99 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. UAL shares dropped 62 cents, or 7.6 percent, to $7.53 in morning trading. Earlier in the session, the stock sank to $7.46, its lowest point since the carrier emerged from bankruptcy protection in February 2006. ----------= ------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 2008 AP <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".