Airlines Cut Fares Up to 60% to Increase Travel : Discounts: British Airways, Northwest Airlines, Mexicana Airlines and TWA slash prices after hostilities in the Gulf cease.

Trying to get passengers flying again now that the Persian Gulf War is over, several domestic and international air carriers announced fare cuts over the weekend of up to 60%.

The new discount offers from British Airways, Northwest Airlines, Mexicana Airlines and TWA came on top of several recent airline promotions touting low ticket prices. They also followed several European carriers’ announcements that they will resume commercial flights to the Middle East that were suspended during the Gulf crisis.

The flurry of airline discount activity followed the cessation of hostilities in the Gulf War by only days. While the war was raging, many people were afraid to travel for fear of terrorist attacks.

Airlines generally move quickly to match cheap fares offered by their competitors. However, it was not immediately clear how many other carriers would copy--or better--the fare reductions announced over the weekend.

Mexicana Airlines on Saturday announced special $198 round-trip tickets between Los Angeles and cities it serves in Mexico. Tickets must be purchased by Saturday. Previously, the lowest round-trip fare was $249 between Los Angeles and Mazatlan.

In newspaper advertisements in more than 40 cities, Northwest Airlines said it was issuing new discount coupons offering up to $100 off on fares.

Northwest said the coupons can be applied to most tickets purchased by midnight April 4 for travel between April 1 and June 7. Passengers must buy a round-trip ticket and stay at their destinations over a Saturday night. The coupons cannot be applied to a previously issued ticket.

Trans World Airlines cut prices for first-class and business-class tickets from six major U.S. cities--slashing the first-class one-way fare from New York to London, for example, to $1,282 from $3,205.

TWA said its discount tickets must be purchased by March 15, for travel between March 3 and May 31. The flights are good out of New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago and Los Angeles.

British Airways, which had previously slashed trans-Atlantic fares 33% for tickets purchased by March 15, on Sunday offered $300 in discounts on land packages for travelers flying between April 1 and Oct. 31.

The $300 discount, which can be applied against hotels, car rentals and other land-service fees, “should further encourage Americans to resume their travel plans to Europe,” said John Wood, senior vice president of marketing at British Airways U.S.A.