Southwest boosts fares by $10 a round trip

8/18/2012

DALLAS -- Southwest Airlines Co. is raising fares on short routes by $10 a round trip, and other airlines are expected to match the increase.

The fare increase Friday applied to flights of less than 500 miles each way, or about one-third of Southwest's routes.

"We never like to increase fares, but simply we needed to cover the cost of business," Ashley Dillon, a Southwest spokesman, said.

During the second quarter, which ended June 30, Southwest's operating expenses rose 6 percent compared with the same period last year.

Fuel, labor, and maintenance costs all increased.