American to Offer Nonstop Flight to N.Y. : Travel: Announcement of service from John Wayne coincides with summer fare discounts.

In a move that will benefit business and leisure travelers, American Airlines said Monday that it will start nonstop service between Orange County’s John Wayne Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, beginning June 1.

The airline made the announcement as major carriers posted new price discounts for summer travel. Northwest Airlines initiated the fare reductions on Sunday and was quickly matched by other carriers, with discounts on non-refundable tickets as deep as 40% during the peak summer travel season.

American said it will offer a daily round-trip flight that will leave Orange County at 8 a.m. for New York. The return flight will depart from New York at 5:30 p.m.

“This is quite consistent with our . . . plan, which is to look for new opportunities that make economic sense,” said Tim Smith, spokesman for American at its Fort Worth, Tex., headquarters. “The support we’ve gotten from business people in Orange County has been superb.”

American now operates 39 flights at John Wayne Airport.

Though Orange County is a major destination for business travelers, no airlines now offer nonstop between John Wayne Airport and New York, an airport spokeswoman said.

America West offered nonstop New York service briefly in 1991 but dropped the two daily flights in December that year when the carrier, based in Phoenix, began restructuring under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code, spokesman Dick Shimizu said.

The latest discounts will be available on American’s new coast-to-coast service for as little as $358 round trip with a 14-day advance purchase. The so-called “walk-up fare”--the price that a traveler would pay if he or she simply walked up to the counter and bought a ticket without making reservations--will be $682.

Other discount round-trip fares include John Wayne to Minneapolis, $378; and Detroit, $398.

Tickets must be purchased by April 27. The prices apply to destinations in Canada and all states except Alaska. Trips must be completed by Sept. 12.

Orange County travel agencies said Monday that they don’t know whether prices will go lower, but that the newest fares are a good deal.

“I think 40% off is a good buy,” said Greg Judd, president of the McDonnell Douglas Travel Co., the Irvine-based travel subsidiary of the aerospace company.

Agent Rika Lott at Newport Bay Travel in Lake Forest said she has not received many calls so far in response to the air-fare cuts, but typically “we get a lot at the last minute.”

Ambassador Travel in Mission Viejo, however, reported that it was receiving more calls than it could handle from customers asking about reduced fares.