Airline Suspends Service; Others Make Changes

It’s been a busy two weeks in airline news. Among the changes:

* Vanguard Airlines, a Kansas City, Mo.-based discount carrier, suspended its flights and planned to seek bankruptcy protection after the government rejected its request for a loan guarantee. Los Angeles was among 18 cities it served. United and Frontier airlines said they would offer Vanguard travelers lower fares by waiving advance-purchase restrictions but would not honor the airline’s tickets.

* Continental Airlines dropped a $40 round-trip fuel surcharge from some ticket prices, then increased base fares on those routes in the U.S. and to Canada by the same amount. The carrier said it was trying to simplify pricing. Many airlines began adding the surcharge two years ago to cover escalating fuel prices.

* United Airlines added a $20 charge for issuing paper tickets on routes in the U.S., U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico that are eligible for electronic tickets. Most major airlines charge such a fee. United also said it would stop issuing paper tickets within the U.S. by July 2003 and for all locations by January 2004, after a similar announcement in June by American Airlines. American plans to end paper tickets by March for domestic trips and by December 2003 for all other trips.

* Southwest Airlines has installed its first self-service check-in kiosks at Dallas’ Love Field airport and plans to add them to 12 other airports, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose and Oakland, by October. The move is part of increasing automation for the discounter.

--Times staff and wires