Airlines add fuel-price increases to air fares

NEW YORK (AP) — The rising cost of flying comes with a familiar refrain: The airlines need help paying their fuel bills.

For the first time since late 2008, U.S. airlines are adding fuel surcharges to ticket prices. They've already raised fares five times since December to offset a 25-percent increase in the price of jet fuel. For those with spring and summer travel plans, it's a one-two punch.

Right now, the surcharges on U.S. routes are only between $3 and $5 each way. Back in 2008, surcharges started slightly higher, then jumped as high as $60 when oil hit $147 in the summer.

Many estimates have oil moving slightly above $100 this year. Even a one-way $15 surcharge adds more than 4 percent to the average domestic ticket price of about $340. And on international flights, fuel surcharges at their peak can more than double the price of a ticket.