29 October 2009

More US airline news: bad omens for resizing and reshaping

Struggling US Airways in a major move is cutting 1,000 jobs next year, shifting virtually all of its flights to its three hubs and suspending several international routes.

"It’s a major retrenchment," said Chairman and CEO Doug Parkers.

At the same time, American Airlines is eliminating up to 700 jobs as it downsizes its maintenance and engineering operations, the company said.

The second-largest US airline, which has cut capacity amid economic woes, said it would "resize and reshape" operations to better meet the needs of its smaller fleet.

US Airways said the job cuts will happen in the first half of 2010 and will include 600 passenger and ramp service workers, 200 pilots, and about 150 flight attendants.

"The airline will close crew bases in Las Vegas and at LaGuardia airport in New York on Jan. 31, and in Boston on May 2," AP adds.

US Airways' cuts also will affect international routes. AP says the carrier is suspending flights between Philadelphia and London Gatwick; Birmingham, England; Milan, Italy; Shannon, Ireland; and Stockholm.

Domestically, US Airways will further cut back at Las Vegas, reducing daily departures there to 36 from 64 by February.

The airline attributes the moves so "a result of high fuel prices and continued weak demand associated with the Las Vegas market."

Additionally, US Airways will end all service to Colorado Springs and Wichita, redeploying its equipment on those routes to its Charlotte, Philadelphia and Phoenix hubs.

US Airways also says it will redeploy its "15 E-190 aircraft on routes between Boston (BOS) and Philadelphia and on the Boston-LaGuardia (LGA) leg of the US Airways Shuttle."

By David Wilkening