People Express Airlines said it will raise its fares.

At a time when most major scheduled air carriers, led by American Airlines, are about to lower their fares, Newark, N.J.-based People Express, a leader among discount airlines, said that it will increase its fares an average of 10% on March 1 because of “general cost increases.” The increases range from $1 to $26, with fares from Newark to Los Angeles, for instance, rising $10 to $129 for off-peak travel and $20 to $169 for peak-hour travel.