United Airlines Discusses the Possibility of...

...grounding 100 of its planes:

In what may prove to be the first of many such announcements from major US airlines, an executive with United Airlines said Wednesday the carrier could be forced to ground up to 100 planes, if customer demand falls off due to soaring fuel prices.

Speaking before a conference of Goldman Sachs investors, United CFO Jake Brace said there's no evidence so far passengers are buying fewer tickets in the wake of recent fare increases to offset higher prices for Jet-A.

Faced with the imminent cresting of the $100 mark for a barrel of crude oil, however, he does believe a day of reckoning may be in the offing.

"Either the industry passes on the higher fuel prices or we're going to have to lower capacity, but you have to make the equation work," Brace told the conference, reports The Associated Press.

A sign of the coming times? If so, the likelihood of more video-conferencing and train travel may well be in the offing.