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Published airline
schedules for October show about a third of the USA's 100 busiest airports
will lose at least 10% of their domestic air service compared with a year
ago.
That will be only a foretaste of the broader and deeper cuts in
the months to come if oil prices stay at record levels.
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airport losing flights?
For example, the USA's three largest carriers — American,
United and Delta — have announced fall domestic capacity cuts in the
10% to 14% range, but only parts of those reductions will be in place by
early October.
Those airlines and others have made it clear that more service
cutbacks and job losses are ahead this year and in 2009.
Although some small markets are seeing large reductions in
percentage terms, large airports in some popular business destinations also
are scheduled for significant reductions, according to USA TODAY's latest
analysis of published schedule data from OAG-Official Airline Guide. The
analysis is based on changes in total seats on daily domestic departures.
Among the airports losing 10% or more of their seats in October
vs. a year ago: Cincinnati, a Delta hub; Houston's Bush Intercontinental
Airport, a Continental hub; Cleveland, another Continental hub; Pittsburgh;
and Phoenix, a US Airways hub.
Even some megahubs will be hit hard by the cutbacks, though in
percentage terms, the reductions don't register as big.
American, for instance, plans to strip out 28 mainline flights
at Chicago O'Hare in the fourth quarter. Its American Eagle affiliate will
cut 34 flights there.
Vaughn Cordle, chief analyst at AirlineForecasts, says that
average fares need to rise at least 20% if the airlines are to cover their
higher costs. But higher fares will reduce demand, requiring about 15% to 20%
less capacity, he says.
Other big carriers have yet to detail their service cuts, but
have tipped their hands. United plans to park 100 jets by the end of 2009. It
will lay off 950 pilots and cut the jobs of at least 1,100 other workers.
More than 4,000 Delta workers have accepted incentives to retire early or
leave voluntarily this year. Continental plans to cut 3,000 jobs this fall.
Southwest, the industry's top discounter, is the only one still
planning a modest year-over-year capacity increase.
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