Midwest Express sees loss, job cuts = = Thursday September 12, 11:22 AM EDT = (Updates share movement paragraph 5, adds details and background, changes= dateline from MILWAUKEE, adds byline) By Kathy Fieweger CHICAGO, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Midwest Express Holdings Inc. (MEH), in anot= her sign of lingering trouble in the U.S. airline industry, on Thursday w= arned it would lose more money than analysts had expected and said it wou= ld take steps to reduce costs, including cutting 200 to 250 jobs by year-= end. The company, parent of Midwest Express Airlines, said its third-quarter l= oss would range from 50 cents to 60 cents a share, compared with the aver= age 23 cents-a-share loss projected by analysts, according to Thomson Fir= st Call. Midwest Express Chairman and Chief Executive Timothy Hoeksema in a statem= ent cited increasing fuel prices, declining business fares and lower dema= nd for business travel. = In the second quarter, Midwest was one of the few airlines to post a prof= it, earning $935,000 or 7 cents a share. Its announcement could presage f= urther deterioration at other airlines. The airline's stock fell sharply on the New York Stock Exchange, dropping= 11 percent to a new low of $5.81. It pared losses later in the morning t= o trade at $6.00, down 8.3 percent. Midwest Express, a high-service carrier serving U.S. destinations from it= s Milwaukee hub, said the third-quarter loss stems from a "rapid decline"= in the industry earnings environment. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijack attacks, U.S. airlines have lost more th= an $10 billion and shortfalls of about $6 billion are predicted for this = year and next year as well. LABOR DISPUTE STILL ROILING The airline is also in the midst of a labor dispute with its 450 flight a= ttendants, who at the end of August said they intended to stage random st= rikes. A spokesman for the company was not immediately available to comment on t= he status of the labor talks. Other cost-cutting efforts will include a "significant schedule change" o= n Nov. 1, which will boost flights in some markets but eliminate or shift= it in others. Known particularly among Midwest business travelers for a high degree of = service, Midwest Express indicated it might be going the route of some bi= gger competitors by imposing "modifications" to onboard service. It did n= ot say what those might be. But other big airlines, struggling with the same environment and mounting= financial losses, are starting to charge fees for flying standby and ref= using to honor nonrefundable fares if they are not used on the day of tra= vel. Midwest Express also said it will move up the sale of two company-owned D= C-9 aircraft. It has signed a letter of intent to sell one in mid-October= and one in early December. = =A92002 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS