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United to scrap London flight in Oct.

By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 26, 2008 at 10:59 a.m.

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United Airlines will end its nonstop service between Denver and London in October, nearly seven months after it started the route.

Chalk it up to the primary culprit for cutbacks in the airline industry these days: increasing fuel costs.

United is looking to offset those expenses "by taking aggressive action to reduce our capacity, retire aircraft and eliminate the least-profitable markets from our fall schedule," said company spokesman Jeff Kovick.

The carrier also is battling a slowing economy that has caused some consumers to pull back on travel, although demand remains strong this summer.

United started one daily round-trip flight between Denver and London Heathrow Airport on March 30.

It will end the route Oct. 25, although people in Denver can still fly British Airways nonstop to London.

United also will eliminate its daily flight from Denver to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The moves are part of United's previously announced plan to slash international and domestic capacity. The carrier plans to cut 14.5 percent of its mainline North American service and up to 4.5 percent of the seats it flies internationally.

walshc@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2744

Comments

  • June 27, 2008

    2:49 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    SteveM writes:

    Why is United scrapping this flight? Cannot they compete with BA? Sad, sad, sad for our International Airport.

  • June 27, 2008

    7:35 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    jacka writes:

    YOUR NEW ENERGY ECONOMY AT WORK

    NO WHERE TO PLUG IN THAT ELECTRIC PLANE

  • June 27, 2008

    12:42 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    mmannino writes:

    The Democrats new energy economy is just beginning. The Democrats have big plans to halt investments in oil, coal, nuclear, and natural gas, add energy taxes to all unfavored means of production, and reward their friends with the spoils. Here are some other new developments that will occur in the new energy economy:

    - Rolling blackouts
    - Air conditioning restrictions
    - Soaring electric rates
    - Gas ration coupons
    - Continual search for new scapegoats: speculators, oil companies, conservatives, ...
    - Permits to live more than biking distance from employment
    - Massive relocation of manufacturing and service jobs
    - New tax on homes of excessive size
    - Criminalization of environmental hate speech (any speech questioning the dogma of global warming, recycling, endangered species, bans on energy exploration, ...)
    - Holiday for Al Gore, Democrat pope and environment saint

  • July 3, 2008

    4:40 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    indygo07 writes:

    This really, really stinks. I flew this route in May and it was full both directions. It is crazy that as big of a hub as Denver is for United, that they would drop an international link to Europe. I suggest everyone writes the CEO and President, suggesting that they drop one of their daily flights in Chicago.

    The address is:

    Glenn F. Tilton
    CEO and President
    United Airlines Headquarters
    77 W. Walker Drive
    Chicago, IL 60601

    Surely we can compete against British Airways can't we?