United Airlines raises fares up to $30 round-trip

NEW YORK (Reuters) - UAL Corp's (UAUA.O) United Airlines has raised fares in the United States and Canada by up to $30 round-trip, the company said on Thursday.

U.S. airlines have announced a number of fare hikes, fuel surcharges and fee increases recently as they battle higher fuel prices and a weakening economy.

United Airlines has raised fares by $4 to $30 per round-trip depending on mileage and competition from low-cost carriers.

"The fare increases will help us offset record-breaking fuel costs," said a company spokesman.

Rick Seaney, chief executive of fare tracker FareCompare.com, said United's move was the 11th attempted fare hike by legacy carriers this year.

He said United's latest increase "means that many travelers will be paying up to $130 round-trip more than they did in the first week of January 2008 for domestic airline tickets."

(Reporting by Mark McSherry, editing by Gerald E. McCormick and John Wallace)