United and Continental airlines are raising fares on many U.S. routes by $10 per round trip.

The increase was confirmed Monday by Mike Trevino, a spokesman for the airlines.

U.S. airlines have raised fares at least a half-dozen times this year as they try to offset rising jet fuel costs. The last attempt failed when other airlines decided not to follow American Airlines when it raised prices earlier this month, also by $10 per round trip.

Rick Seaney, CEO of travel website FareCompare.com, said consumers also got a break last week when U.S. airlines offered more discount seats for early-summer travel. Still, he said, cheap seats will be harder to find this year.

To read the full story: Yahoo! Finance

United

Dear Ms. Davidson:

The Department of Transportation as asked our office to respond to your recent complaint registered with them.  I am sorry for any misunderstanding about the ticket you recently purchased for Ms. Peg Care and regret the difficulties that you and Ms. Care experienced on December 6 at Philadelphia’s airport.

We realize that at times we are not doing as well as we should be in assisting our customers with their reservations and tickets.  Your comments will be shared with our Philadelphia management, so they understand how this experience felt from your point of view and can follow up with their teams to ensure more support in the future.  We appreciate your candid feedback very much as this allows us to share your experiences and to learn from them.

Regardless of the reasons for the inconvenience, our agents certainly could have done more to acknowledge the situation, to be empathetic and to better assist you.

Ms. Davidson, while I can’t undo the circumstances that you and Ms. Care experienced, please accept the attached electronic travel certificates as a gesture of good will.  The certificate numbers and the terms and conditions are below.  Also I have opened up Ms. Care’s ticket 016 2199 573 044, so that she may apply it to future travel.  Please remember when exchanging the ticket that it should reflect her name as it appears on her government issued I.D.

We look forward to welcoming you and Ms. Care onboard United in the near future.

Sincerely,

Donita Mincey

Customer Relations

Here is the response I received from US Airways. Do you think they sound like they really even care?

Dear Ms. Davidson:

Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at US Airways. We appreciate hearing from our customers and having an opportunity to address their concerns.

Please accept my apology for the disappointing service you and Margaret Care received. Our customers deserve a pleasurable experience each and every time they fly with us, and I am sorry this trip did not meet your expectations. Your comments regarding our service are important, and we appreciate your taking the time to tell us about your experience.

Your tickets were purchased on ticket stock of our codeshare partner United Airlines. Therefore, any changes or reimbursement would be under their control and they would have made the changes to Margaret Cares’  ticket under their policy guidelines.  We do apologize that you were not immediately directed to the correct ticket counter to reissue Margaret Cares’ ticket and was glad to hear that Terrance was able to provide some assistance to you during this ordeal.

Although Ms. Care gave up her seat, on the subsequent flight, we do not offer compensation unless it is designated an oversold flight. Under those circumstances, she would be asked by the agents to relinquish her seat and provided compensation according to the denied boarding policy.

Again , we apologize for any inconvenience caused you and Margaret Care. We appreciate and value your business. We’re working hard to earn your continued patronage. I sincerely hope we have an opportunity to restore your confidence in our service.

Sincerely,

Sandra May

Representative, Customer Relations

US Airways Corporate Office

For those of you who don’t know what happened- here is the story:

A trip to visit my sick mother. Made reservations for myself and friend Peg Care. TSA personell turns us away because they don’t accept Peg as a nickname for Margaret- which is the name on her license and passport, both of which she shows. We go back to ticketing for US Air, wait for a half an hour in a line. The agent says a supervisor has to be called. We wait another 15 minutes for the supervisor to tell us “She’s not flying today.” I say, “don’t we have any other options?” Response:no. I say, “what if ibuy her another ticket?”. She says, ‘the flight is booked”… to which I respond that one of those seats is being held for Peg Care. The supervisor finaly admits that’ll work. Then I get out my credit card to be told, “Oh, I can’t help you, you’ll have to get back in that line and see one of my ticketing agents.”

We get back in line for another 20 minutes and are finally dealing with the only US Air employee who gave us any customer service all week. Terrence (counter in Philly) tells us that United, who issued the ticket (it was a code share flight) could have easily re-issued the ticket and that the USAir supervisor should have sent us there right away. By now, it is 30 minutes before the flight is supposed to depart. I pay for *another ticket*. Terrence tells us he’ll make a special notation so United can see what happened.

We run to the gate, to find the flight delayed because a baggage carrier ran into the cargo door. Then the flight is subsequently cancelled. We wait in line to be re-booked, and are told that my friend Peg now has a ticket on the 5:55pm flight, and I am on stand-by.

Of course the flight was overbooked, so I could not get on, so Peg gave up her ticket so we could both fly on the 8:35pm flight. She asked if she would get a voucher for giving up her ticket and was told no. But she gave up her ticket… NO.

5 hours after were were supposed to depart Philly, we were able to fly out on the 8:35 flight. How disappointing.

Return:

I call United to make sure I can get a ticket re-issued for her for the return flight and was told that a notation was never made in the system. So since they had her as a no-show for the flight out to Phoenix, they canceled her for the flight back. And a supervisor, Arnie, told me there was no way they could re-issue the ticket because the TSA has a list of acceptable nicknames. When I questioned that, she wanted to give me the 800 number for the TSA and not help me. I said that I would call TSA at a later date and had to buy another ticket at a price of more than $500! I did ask that day when I checked in with the TSA if they had a list. They do not. Not sure where Arnie got that information.

I cover business so I know the economic factors the airlines are up against, I’m just not sure that customer service can cost that much..