Prices may be coming down at the gas pump, but they're going up at the ticket counter. Look for higher airfares in 2010, some forecasters say, and maybe another round of fee hikes.

Of course, no one knows for sure, given the wobbly course and snail's pace of what is touted as recovery from the recession. But the price trends aren't looking good for fliers.

Tom Parsons, chief executive and founder of BestFares.com, noticed a big difference.

``Airfares that once sold for $99 one way, or $198 round trip, system-wide, are now $149 one way, or $298 round trip,'' he said.

Take Southwest Airlines. This low-cost leader's winter sale -- just ended -- offered fares from $59 to $149 each way on select dates.

Southwest is not the only airline raising prices. The AirfareWatchdog blog recently noted that Delta, American, United and US Airways had added $10 per ticket on peak travel days for the winter holidays.

In a recent teleconference, American Express said it expected slight fare increases in North America and Europe in 2010 and larger increases in the Asia-Pacific region.

You might wonder how fares can go up in tough times. American Express says it's all about supply and demand: Business travel is expected to pick up a bit next year, even as airlines sideline jets to keep supplies low.

And then there are the fees.

George Hobica, founder of AirfareWatchdog, wrote a post called ``Eleven Airline Fees You've Never Heard of . . . but That You Could See Soon.'' Among those on the list: Online booking fees, priority boarding fees and infant fees. British Airways now charges to choose your seat in advance.

Can we begrudge the airlines for this fee frenzy?

``Even with the new fees, airlines are losing billions,'' Hobica said. ``So it's either fees, higher fares or we'll see some more airlines fall into the aviation ash heap along with TWA, Pan Am, Skybus and Independence Air.''

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