Fifth domestic airfare hike halved

Katie Johnston Chase, Globe Staff

Low-cost carriers are trying to live up to their names, refusing to match the latest airfare price hike and forcing legacy airlines to cut the increase in half.

After the legacy carriers put a $20 round-trip hike in place last week -- the fifth so far this year -- Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airways, AirTran Airways, and Frontier Airlines raised their prices by $10, and yesterday the legacy carriers rolled back their costs to match, according to FareCompare.com.

Airlines have been steadily raising airfare this year to keep up with the rising cost of oil and have already put more price hikes in place than they did all of last year.