Airfare increases are less common

Good news for airline travelers: Airfare hikes have become less common and, typically, target specific types of fliers or those in limited geographical areas.

That is the analysis of the latest attempts to increase airfares by Rick Seaney, an airfare expert and chief executive of the travel site Farecompare.com.

“Today, carriers are less apt to toss spaghetti on the wall every two weeks with distance-based price hikes that are usually rolled back within a few days,” he said.

This year, most major carriers have matched only two fare hikes. The first, in February, boosted roundtrip fares about $4. The latest hike came in the last two weeks and raised those fares about $10, Seaney said.

Airlines seem to focus the hikes on specific f liers, such as business travelers, or limited geographic areas, because a series of mergers in the last few years has reduced competition and increased profits for airlines, he said.