Fliers pinched as airfares take off; blame fuel, mergers, profits - USATODAY.com

Recently, Catlette, a business consultant, drove even farther, when he found out a round-trip flight from Memphis to Jacksonville would cost $900 for a seat in coach.

"They're totally putting the squeeze on us," Catlette, who regularly flies out of Memphis, says of Delta, the city's dominant airline. "It's not that I like driving that much, but at some point, it's nuts. At least I don't have to take my shoes off."

Fares were up this year, from facilities such as Memphis International Airport to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson to Boston's Logan. Don't expect them to drop any time soon.

The volatile price of jet fuel, multiple airline mergers that have winnowed competition and a determination by carriers to not offer more seats than there are passengers to fill them have let airlines boost prices and their bottom lines.

"While nobody wants to pay more for anything, including airline tickets, we have to remember that airlines are businesses," says airline and travel analyst Henry Harteveldt. "They're going to do whatever they can to earn a profit."