Steve Robinson

US Airways Reducing Las Vegas Presence

Decreasing competition among airlines at a given airport seldom is positive news for travelers who value cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages. 

US Airways announced September 1st that it will decrease its Las Vegas schedule of flights by approximately 40 percent.

US Airways is planning to cancel direct routes from Las Vegas to Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Francisco early in 2012.  US Airways daily departures from Las Vegas will fall to 21 from a current 35.

This dramatic reduction in the number of daily flights will make US Airways one of the smaller airlines operating in Las Vegas.  The airline will fly directly from Las Vegas only to its three hubs (Charlotte, Philadelphia and Phoenix) as well as Washington Regan National by the end of January.

US Airways focus on these four airports is one of its key profitability strategies.  It wants to compete primarily in markets where it is a dominant player.

US Airways is hoping to be able to operate more flights at Washington National because of its proposed slot swap with Delta.  If the slot swap proposal is ultimately approved, approximately 98 percent of its total flights will operate to or from one of these four airports. 

When American West Airlines acquired US Airways in 2005 and changed its name to US Airways, it operated a schedule of about 131 daily Las Vegas flights. 

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