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Northwest Airlines on Friday joined American Airlines and Delta Air Lines in matching fare increases of 3 to 5 percent imposed Thursday by United Airlines. "We are making this move to offset the extraordinarily high cost of fuel," Jim Cron, senior vice president of revenue management for Eagan-based Northwest, said in a prepared statement. Jet-fuel prices have surged 65 percent in the past year. Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson said this week that U.S. airlines must raise fares by 15 to 20 percent just to break even at current fuel prices.

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