Flight reductions tough on small airports

NEW YORK, June 4 (UPI) -- U.S. airlines will lean on flights to large cities and cut back on flights to tourist destinations as fuel costs rise, industry schedules show.

Large cities, such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles will see less flight reductions than Las Vegas, Orlando, Fla., or Honolulu, USA Today reported Wednesday.

Midsized airports will see more cutbacks and smallest airports may see services canceled, the report said.

Further, as flights are reduced, fares will go up, industry analysts said.

"The good times are about to end for consumers," Mo Garfinkle, an airline consultant at GCW Consulting told the paper.

Most airlines have already announced schedule backs of 10 percent, but "if fuel prices continue at these levels, this will not be enough," Kevin Knight, senior vice president of route planning for United Airlines said.