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Leaving Las Vegas: A US Airways jet takes off from McCarran International Airport on March 27.
Published Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 | 11:22 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009 | 1:31 p.m.
Sun Archives
- Big hit in convention traffic cuts visitor volume again in August (10-16-2009)
- Air traffic will rebound soon but slowly, analysis finds (10-12-2009)
- Holding pattern: Expert sees slow recovery for McCarran (10-9-2009)
- US Airways to cut more Las Vegas flights (4-30-2008)
- US Airways reports first-quarter loss (4-23-2009)
- US Airways to cut flights out of McCarran (2-19-2009)
- US Airways to cut jobs at McCarran (2-10-2009)
Beyond the Sun
US Airways, once the busiest carrier at McCarran International Airport, will slice its schedule of 64 daily flights to 36 by the end of February.
The Tempe, Ariz.-based airline announced today that it would close its Las Vegas crew bases and drop flights to 13 destinations from the end of December through the end of February.
The announcement was part of broader cuts systemwide by the airline that includes eliminating 1,000 jobs and ending service to five European destinations from the airline’s East Coast gateway at Philadelphia.
The airline is continuing to shore up its most profitable business. Las Vegas, primarily a leisure market, doesn’t offer the same profit margins as other business travel-driven markets.
The cuts were particularly hard-hitting to Las Vegas, where US Airways has steadily reduced its presence since 2007. In the early 1990s, as America West Airlines, it was the busiest carrier at McCarran.
By the end of December, the airline will end nonstop round trips between Las Vegas and Detroit; Minneapolis; Seattle; Sacramento and San Jose, Calif.; and the Canadian cities of Edmonton, Alberta; Vancouver, British Columbia; and Toronto.
At the end of January, flights between Las Vegas and San Diego will be cut.
And, at the end of February, service will end between Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla.; Orange County, Calif.; and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
US Airways also will trim its schedule of flights from two flights to one a day to Boston on Dec. 2; two to one to Fresno, Calif., on Dec. 17; and from six to five to Los Angeles International Airport on Jan. 4.
The airline will emphasize its connections to its key hub cities – Phoenix; Philadelphia; Charlotte, N.C.; and Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington. Schedules also will remain the same on flights to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Pittsburgh and San Francisco.
Currently the No. 2 carrier at McCarran with 64 daily flights, US Airways’ service cuts would drop it to No. 3 behind Chicago-based United Airlines, which has 37 daily flights.
Morgan Durrant, a spokesman for US Airways, said it hasn’t been determined how many of the airline’s 880 Las Vegas employees would be transferred or let go. But the airline’s pilot and flight attendant bases will be closed. It’s possible that pilots and flight attendants based in Las Vegas would stay here and commute to Phoenix or other bases.
The airline also is eliminating its bases in Boston and New York and is eliminating all flights to Colorado Springs, Colo., and Wichita, Kan.
“It’s been a struggle to turn any meaningful revenue in this environment,” Durrant said. “We’re shoring up where we’re strong in markets that perform financially well for us.”
He noted that Las Vegas is an extremely competitive market for US Airways, the sixth-largest U.S. carrier and the smallest of the full-fare U.S. airlines.
European destinations dropped from Philadelphia include London’s Gatwick International Airport; Milan; Birmingham, England; Shannon, Ireland; and Stockholm. The airline also is eliminating its right to begin flights between Philadelphia and Beijing, which was due to begin in March.
By the end of next year, 99 percent of US Airways’ capacity will be at Phoenix, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston and airports in New York.
Systemwide, the airline will cut 600 customer service and ramp jobs, 200 pilots and 150 flight attendants.
The US Airways announcement came two days after a happier occurrence at McCarran – the arrival of the first nonstop flight from London’s Heathrow International Airport on British Airways.
McCarran is the "heartbeat" of Las Vegas.
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Second largest carrier after Southwest. That is certainly a big hit. Judging from the routes they are keeping it looks like they cut their longer routes where they can get the most of their fuel savings. From whatever airports they departing for LV, there is an opportunity for an airline already at McCarran to pick up.
And the PR folks still says it's getting better??? What a bunch of crap...Unemployment, people are still "tanking" their savings - AMERICA is BROKE !!!!!!! And everytime they write a new "bill" to help stimulate, they load it with pork..how about giving everyone in America $200k..let them do as they wish with it..it would be cheaper than what the gov't does and it would go right back into the system through banking, paying bills, mortgages, etc..
Well I guess I will fly Southwest.Its a much better carrer anyway. Southwest has a good track record,the fares are good,the 737 is a strong aircraft.
YOU ARE #1 IN MY BOOK
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK
LAS VEGAS SHOULD PUT THAT TRAIN IN OR THIS PLACE WILL BE A GHOST TOWN.
Harley,
don't say it too loud, I remember months ago a lot of people were complaining about the noise of the planes, the fact is AIRPORTS - PLANES - ENGINE NOISE = PROGRESS, you can not separate the first 3, not yet, and if you delete the first one....good luck Vegas.
A shame about the Orange County flights. Granted that there were too many and rarely full, but why not just reduce the number of flights and increase the price of the ticket and go a little upscale?
I like US Airways prices, but you sure get what you pay for.
Thanks harry. You and Pelosi and the ONE that told the country not to go to Las Vegas have really helped this economy.
Why don't we print some more money and keep buying energy from Venezuela, that should help.
Our elected officials and tourism professionals should be / should have been lobbying US Airways...this is our number one priority. Less lift into Las Vegas will greatly hinder our visitor and convention industry. We are, after all, a one-industry economy. This is where Senator Reid belongs...in this fight! That is one of the reasons people voted for him. Now is the time for action...attention casino companies, tourism professionals, and elected officials. We NEED the air service!
this sucks. no other way to slice it.
anyone get the feeling that the USA economy is heading towards a double dip recession? Seems very likely right now. nothing but bad news.
Less competition among airline$ is not good new$ for the air traveler.
yep. i have said millions of times that the only data that matters to las vegas is activity at that airport.
people don't come = people don't spend = people lose jobs.
the liberals ( most of the media ) are pulling every random statistic possible to say "things are getting" better to prop up their cult leader, obama.
corporate lackys neiman and stevey boy have risen. all hail the corporation
My wife has been a devoted employee to the airline for a decade this year and unfortunately she will be a casualty. They've guaranteed her a trip to the unemployment office. It sucks. No I have to figure out how to afford medical insurance for her and our kids, because we'll be losing their coverage.
OK my friends out there I have been screaming this for weeks now WE NEED THE BULLET TRAIN! 'Nuff said...
jasonrothlv
Call a Republican and find out how to get health insurance (good luck).
This will keep me on Southwest
SW Airlines all the way! They bring people and their money to Vegas for low cost. Now if downtown would get back to the good old days when a Martini did't cost $15-20 more folks would visit and spend the money they saved traveling.
Sorry to read this sure were alot of promises made this time last year. Sorry I haven't seen any of them.
Biden, just in Reno a few days ago, declared the recession over.
ok so Goodman announces they are going to try and get a sports team here. USairways CENTER is in ARIZONA .... coincedence I think not. we build a center usairways cuts its flights
If you want to know what's going to happen with the Las Vegas economy BEFORE it happens just watch McCarran's passenger numbers which are currently in free-fall declining month over month for the past 18 consecutive months.
Las Vegas can't and won't turn around before McCarran's passenger numbers stop declining -- period.
The reasons behind McCarran's numbers continued decline should be a primary focus.
Obviously wide-spread declining economic conditions throughout the country would logically be a primary reason which really center's around the health of Wall Street.
As McCarran is the "heartbeat" of Las Vegas, Wall Street is the "heartbeat" of the Country; the same Wall Street that just gave the gaming sector a ~20% haircut the past two trading sessions.
Despite the Country's economic ills, which won't heal anytime soon, there are segments of the Country that have the ability and will to travel but won't (unless absolutely necessary) because of their experiences (horror-stories) with the TSA.
The TSA is an expensive government espionage mandate which promises security but assures none while impeding the commerce of passenger travel so vital to Las Vegas.
The TSA routinely denies passenger travel, conducts searches without cause, steals, prohibits, confiscates and destroys traveler's possessions, in short, has built ill-will with traveling Americans that object to being delayed, falsely accused, scanned, handled, insulted and treated like a foreign enemy.
Vegas can't and won't return to the economic health it previously experienced until McCarran's passenger numbers not only stop free-falling but reverse -- and frankly I don't see such happening.
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http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct...
If this article isn't soon followed by an announcement that other carriers will step in to fill the void left by USAIR, then the Vegas economy will continue tanking throughout 2010.
On the other hand, this could simply be a ruse by USAIR to dump a bunch of employees at the bottom. It could actually be a sign of impending recovery.
McCarran's passenger numbers are going to stay this low, if not fall lower for at least 2-3 more years.
Take off your blinders & realize that this entire town is in the sh!tter. Even when the rest of the country has recovered from this recession, they'll still be shell shocked & hesitant to come get raped by the casinos here.
Folks, it's not so bad losing ~30 USAir daily flights. Look at the bright side... British Airways just added [one] nonstop flight from London's Heathrow to LAS. :)
ok, put rebuplicans on the last flights of US Air out of Las Vegas - one way tickets! And add train service! Quit building interstates! There now - the answer to all our problems! Oh, and move out before Las Vegas runs out of water!
Could we please stop allowing morons to post, forget free speech,,, these idiots posting need help.
OH and lets put stats on when all of you are saying no one is coming here. It sucks but 20% year over year could be alot worse!!!
I hate US Air anyway. Got screwed by them years ago and vowed to never fly with those bastards again.
I just hope City Center survives this...one nice thing about that place opening up is its sure to drive down the rates being charged by the other resorts w/the extra hotel spaces available,...
And I'm sure with all the hiring there will be alot of people extremely happy to have a job,..
But the number of people that come here is gonna be the make or break,
My solution would be get more Foreign flights to Las Vegas, Everyone else in the world is enjoying the weak American dollar right now EXCEPT America, The Brits can fly here for next to nothing....
I'll also be interested to see how many attend the SEMA show coming up, which is one of the 3 biggest conventions of the year.
the city that has made its living screwing seniors out of social security is finally getting what it deserves, hey maybe you ought to build a few houses and list them in the millions for sale, haaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Can't believe that only two of us commenters are screaming for the obvious.. BULLET TRAIN!
Living in the Pac NW, we now have only 2 choices for a non-stop flight. SW and Alaska. US Airways, while not my favorite, was a partner with United and all of my status flowed easily for that 2 hour flight. Less competition will likley make the cost of our flights increase.
I just flew to LAS/McCarran 2 weeks ago. I heard that passengers/visitors were down. However, the airport was mobbed. Lines were long, rental car busses full. Unless they are severely "peaking" all flights at the same time, it looks like business as usual to me. I was in Caesar's Palace to see Bette Midler. The casino and the show was packed. You have to wonder if the tourists numbers are for some reason being skewed?
I do agree that Las Vegas is no longer a bargain anywhere. While hotels are cheaper, the cost of a 90 minute "rushed" show is over $100.00, a burger is $15.00 etc. The hotel prices are just one factor of attracting people to Vegas.
Vegas will recover. It will just take some time.