Less service to the West

After we ran down how other airlines are cutting back Charlotte service, US Airways now says it's pulling the plug on its nonstop flight to Sacramento, with the last day Aug. 18. Charlotte's dominant carrier also will end its seasonal direct service Portland, Ore., on Oct. 1. Both routes have only one flight a day.

We're still waiting to see what other cuts could be coming as US Airways trims capacity by up to 8 percent nationwide by year's end. Meanwhile, the airline just started nonstop service to Montreal last Thursday. Montreal? Oui, Montreal.

A US Airways spokeswoman said Charlotte also will pick up flights in October on existing routes, including Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Tampa, Baltimore and New York-JFK. I'm guessing the Chicago flights are aimed at filling the void from cuts at American and United, while JFK could be an attempt to battle Delta's planned increase to that airport.

The bigger question is whether these additional flights to major markets will come at the expense of US Airways Express flights to smaller cities. This guy thinks that will happen, and I know he's not the only one.