LAS VEGAS --
US Airways announced major cuts Wednesday -- including drastic changes in Las Vegas.
Less flights, less employees and a big headache for travelers in and out of the Valley are the changes coming.
US Air is reducing daily flights in and out of McCarran Airport by nearly 50 percent. They're getting rid of the crew base in Las Vegas and eliminating direct flights to cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Seattle and Orlando.
It's all part of a massive overhaul that isn't just affecting the airline nationwide -- it's worldwide.
Starting in the first half of 2010, US Airways will drop its daily Las Vegas flights from 64 to 36 and will eliminate McCarran as a base for flight crews.
Nationwide, 1,000 jobs will be cut and numerous flights will be eliminated including overseas service to five European cities from Philadelphia.
It's part of a massive restructuring for the airline, and travelers like Bill Franchi are not happy to have fewer options.
“Convenience of flight times … I'll definitely be looking at other airlines, without a doubt,” Franchi said.
Losing more flights as Terminal 3 continues construction undoubtedly has McCarran officials concerned. They would not speak to
FOX5
but released this statement: “We learned of these changes this morning. We're analyzing the details to determine how this will affect Las Vegas bound passengers versus those who were just hubbing through, looking at each market individually, in order to determine how this will impact the community.”
US Airways passenger Chris Truscott said he flies frequently, mostly with US Air.
“It affects me greatly. There's not much more I can say other than I'll have to choose another carrier -- period,” Truscott said.
The airline is citing decreased travel in the recession that it said is making it harder to raise fares to cover rising fuel costs. US Air saw McCarran passengers drop 28 percent last month compared to September 2008.
This could lead to rate hikes from other airlines who now have less competition in certain markets.
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