Ten leading US airlines have been urged to cap airline fares for people fleeing Hurricane Maria.

Bill Nelson, a Democrat senator from Florida, has written to the airlines' chief executives, asking them to prevent fares spiralling as the hurricane approaches.

Fares soared in the days leading up to Hurricane Irma as it bore down on the Caribbean, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Flights, which would normally have cost only a few hundred dollars, went on sale for several thousand dollars as aircraft filled up.

Airlines were accused of price gouging, with several members of Congress calling on Elaine Chao, the US transportation secretary, to hold an investigation.

United's prices appeared to be particularly high, with the airline quoting $6,785 for a trip from Miami to Denver.

The airline, however, said the price was quoted in error, citing a computer glitch and denied exploiting the crisis.