Smaller airports are losing airline service

WICHITA FALLS, Texas -- While the number of airline flights serving Wichita Falls will drop from seven to three, the city is faring better than many smaller cities across the U.S.

At least 97 airports across the U.S. have lost all airline service since 2007 or will by the end of this year, says the Air Transport Association, a trade association for the airline industry.

ATA spokesman David Castelveter said the cities have been smaller communities, such as Youngstown, Ohio, Rutland, Va., Greenbrier W.Va., and Hot Springs, Ark.

"But no city has been spared capacity reductions," he said.

Castelveter said the elimination or reduction in service has been driven by rising fuel costs.

"The industry is in a crisis," Castelveter said. "Eight U.S airlines went out of business this year, two more are in bankruptcy. If we continue to see fuel prices rise, not only will we see more capacity reduction, we'll see more carriers reorganized."

Castelveter said no city -- of any size -- has been spared capacity reductions. He warned that if fuel prices don't come down, more cutbacks are likely.

"We're not at the breaking point -- we're broke," he said. "Every time the price of a barrel of oil goes up $1, the airline loses $465 million a year."

Castelveter said the industry is lobbying to get Congress to do something about speculation in the oil futures market, which it sees as the biggest culprit in skyrocketing oil prices. Some top government officials and energy watch groups say supply-demand tightness rather than speculation has run up the prices.

He said airlines would make decisions on reducing or stopping service to airports on an ongoing basis.

(Lynn Walker is a reporter for the Wichita Falls Times Record News in Texas.)