Layoff Ax To Swing At US Airways

Bankrupt air carrier US Airways Group Inc. will reportedly eliminate 13 percent of its flights and cut an unspecified number of jobs as part of its restructuring.

That's according to The Washington Post, which says the Arlington, Virginia-based airline told employees Wednesday that it will cut 200 of its 1,550 daily departures, with 130 flights to be cut in September and the rest by the end of the year.

US Airways, the 6th-largest U.S. airline, sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Aug. 11 in the first such filing by a major carrier since the Sept. 11 attacks triggered a financial crisis in the industry.

A company spokesman told the newspaper the flights to be targeted for elimination have not yet been determined.

The airline has already eliminated 25 percent of its capacity since Sept. 11.

US Airways also reportedly says it plans to cut its fleet from 311 aircraft to 280.

"These are difficult, necessary decisions that will help return our company to profitability," U.S. Airways President David Siegel told employees in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the airline has a hub.

US Airways serves 204 U.S. cities and has said that only Saginaw, Michigan, would lose service based on a decision made by an affiliate of US Airways' Express business.

The carrier also said it will keep its hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and maintain high levels of service to New York's LaGuardia and Washington's Reagan National airports.