Start-up airline Breeze plots major expansion this summer

By DAVID KOENIG
AP Airlines Writer

DALLAS (AP) — Less than a year after it started flying, new Breeze Airways is announcing an aggressive expansion plan that will include flights on the West Coast. Breeze said Tuesday that it will add 35 routes from 10 more cities. That growth is coming just as jet fuel prices surge to an 8-year high. Breeze founder David Neeleman says fares must go up to cover the extra fuel costs. He thinks his airline can limit price increase to between $3 and $5 for every dollar increase in the price of fuel. But he acknowledges that whenever fares go up, demand for air travel suffers.