Higher U.S. Airfares Loom as Oil Climbs Toward $100

Delta Air Lines Inc., American Airlines and other large U.S. carriers may be poised to boost fares with fuel surcharges as crude oil moves closer to $100 a barrel.

“Every dollar that fuel rises erodes their earnings,” said Jim Corridore, a Standard & Poor’s equity analyst in New York. “It’s not good news to see fuel prices back up. Once we start approaching $100 a barrel, you’ll start to see fuel surcharges come back.”