Will charge for first checked bag, all beverages; outlines Las Vegas pullback

Just hours after United announced it was matching American in charging coach passengers a $15 fee for checking one bag, US Airways said it will do the same, effective for tickets booked on or after July 9. US Airways’ new fee applies to flights within the U.S. and to Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Like United and American, US Airways will not charge the fee to Dividend Miles Preferred members (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Chairman’s Preferred), or to confirmed First Class and Envoy Class passengers, or Star Alliance Silver or Gold members.

But US Airways didn’t stop there. The company unveiled several other new fees and cutbacks in amenities. Starting August 1, it will charge $2 for all non-alcoholic in-flight beverages, including sodas, bottled water, coffee and juices; alcoholic drinks will go up from the current $5 to $7. (Passengers in domestic First Class, on the US Airways Shuttle and on transatlantic flights will still get free drinks.) The carrier will increase fees for booking tickets through call centers from $15 for all tickets to $25 for domestic tickets and $35 for international. Airport and ticket office purchases will cost $35 domestic and $45 international, vs. $20 previously.

And there’s bad news for US Airways Dividend Miles members. Starting August 6, the airline will charge a new processing fee for claiming award tickets: $25 for domestic and Canadian routes, $35 for Mexico or the Caribbean and $50 for Hawaii or international award flights. What’s more, as of August 6 the airline will eliminate its bonus miles program for Dividend Miles Preferred members; the bonus miles are currently awarded based on their status level.

Besides all the new fees, US Airways will reduce domestic capacity by six to eight percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter, and will eliminate 1,700 jobs. On September 3, the airline will reduce its operations at Las Vegas – which were as high as 141 departures a day last September – to 81 daily departures, and reduce them further to 74 daily flights by the end of this year. On September 3, “the airline’s Las Vegas night operation will be closed, except for limited night service to the East Coast,” a spokesman said. He noted that revenue from the longstanding Las Vegas night operation “no longer exceeds the incremental cost of that flying. As a result, the airline will park those planes overnight, as it does for the majority of its fleet in other markets.” US Airways said it will get rid of six 737-300s this year, eliminate four A320s in early 2009, and cancel the leases on two A330 wide-bodies that were due to be delivered next year. Further reductions in its fleet are likely to follow in 2009 and 2010, US Airways said.