=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2003/02/10/f= inancial1718EST0243.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, February 10, 2003 (AP) America West eliminating Ohio hub EDUARDO MONTES, Associated Press Writer (02-10) 21:22 PST PHOENIX (AP) -- America West Airlines will eliminate its money-losing hub in Columbus, Ohio, by mid-June, reducing the number of daily flights originating there from 49 to four and relying on its larger and more profitable Western hubs. The airline will also reduce its Columbus work force to about 65 from roughly 400 employees. Columbus employees will be able to transfer elsewhere within the company or taking a severance package, the airline said. America West spokeswoman Janice Monahan said the Columbus hub, one of three for the airline, has been consistently unprofitable. America West lost about $25 million per year on the operation. The Tempe, Ariz.-based airline, the nation's eighth-largest carrier, has posted losses for nine straight quarters. Airline officials said the Columbus hub was no longer as crucial as it w= as when it was established 12 years ago to connect passengers to the East Coast. "As flights from our primary hubs of Phoenix and Las Vegas grew to major East Coast markets, the value of Columbus as a connecting hub has diminished," said Scott Kirby, an America West executive vice president. As part of the downsizing, America West will phase 12 Columbus-based regional jets out of its fleet. The aircraft will remain with Chautauqua Airlines, which operated them under the America West Express name. Monahan said the America West Express flights made up the bulk of the airline's flights at Columbus, serving 15 destinations. The airline will now only operate two daily flights to Phoenix and two to Las Vegas. David Whitaker, a vice president at Port Columbus International Airport, said America West carried 21 percent of the airport's passengers in 2002, more than any other carrier. On Wednesday, Delta Air Lines plans to announce expanded service from Columbus. On the Net: America West: www.americawest.com Port Columbus: www.port-columbus.com/ =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 AP