US Airways backtracks on service cuts = = Friday September 6, 12:21 PM EDT = (Rewrites first paragraph, adds details, background, paragraphs 2, 5-8)) NEW YORK, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Bankrupt US Airways Group Inc. (UAWGQ) on Fr= iday said it was backtracking on plans to cut down on services it offers = customers with nonrefundable tickets in response to harsh criticism from = business travelers. US Airways, the sixth-largest U.S. airline, in late August said it was cu= tting services such as frequent flyer benefits and standby flights to bud= get travelers as part of an overall cost-cutting plan. The rollback of these policies will let travelers with nonrefundable tick= ets, which are generally cheaper and do not allow for travel flexibility,= fly standby for a $100 fee. The change, set to start on Jan. 1, matches = a policy set by rival American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp. (AMR) = = US Airways also said customers with nonrefundable tickets will be able ag= ain to count miles flown with those tickets toward premium levels in thei= r frequent flyer accounts. "We heard from many customers about our changes, and we are responding in= a way that should please most of them," said B. Ben Baldanza, US Airways= senior vice president of marketing and planning. The airline did not change its new policy of restricting passengers who b= uy nonrefundable tickets for many routes in North America and Europe from= using the value of an unused ticket as a credit toward the purchase of a= nother one. Sunken travel demand and thinning corporate travel budgets have put airli= nes around the globe through the wringer since the Sept. 11 attacks on th= e United States. The leading U.S. air carriers are slashing costs to offs= et pallid revenue, cutting everything from extra utensils to workers' sal= aries. The Arlington, Virginia-based airline has struggled for months to extract= wage cuts and other sacrifices from its employees. Cost reductions are a= crucial component of the company's push to restructure its business and = get final approval for a government-backed loan. = =A92002 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS