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 The regulator sent letters on Friday asking each carrier to detail
average fares along the route before, during and after the crash. It
demanded an explanation for price increases, if any, and asked the
airlines whether they communicated with each other about those
fares, which might signal collusion.
The review involves Delta Air Lines Inc <DAL.N>, American Airlines
Group Inc <AAL.O>, United Continental Holdings Inc <UAL.N>,
Southwest Airlines Co <LUV.N> and JetBlue Airways Corp <JBLU.O>, all
of which said they were cooperating with the probe.
American and United added they were confident that no wrongdoing
would be found, while Delta said it did not increase prices but
instead lowered some of its highest fares by nearly 50 percent
following the crash.
"These airlines have allegedly raised fees beyond what you would
ordinarily expect in the Northeast Corridor at a time when the
Amtrak line was shut down," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx
told reporters on Friday.
The probe comes at a difficult time for U.S. airlines, already the
subject of a Justice Department investigation into whether they
worked together illegally to keep fares high by signaling plans to
limit flights.
Consumers are also showing signs of dissatisfaction after carriers
recently squeezed more seats onto planes and added new ancillary
fees, increasing the cost of air travel.
The new probe will have to account for ticket prices being a
computer-automated response to demand, industry consultant Robert
Mann said. Reservation systems displayed high fares simply because
all the cheaper ones had been purchased.
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"You had a runaway bookings situation because of the unfortunate
incident," Mann said.
Delta and American said they added seats to accommodate more
passengers, and Delta allowed previously ticketed Amtrak customers
fly for free.
Eight people were killed and more than 200 injured in the Amtrak
derailment in Philadelphia. Amtrak traffic between Washington and
New York City was shut down for six days as a result.
Foxx said the investigation comes after Connecticut Senator Chris
Murphy contacted the Obama administration with concerns over
consumer protection.
The Transportation Department has authority to stop any illegal
practice by the airlines, according to Foxx, although it was not
immediately clear what punishment could result from the
investigation.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan in Washington and Jeffrey Dastin in New
York; Editing by Bill Trott, Doina Chiacu and Bill Rigby)
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