US Airways Reverses Plans on Service Cuts

In response to harsh criticism from business travelers, US Airways Group Inc. said it is backtracking on plans to trim services it offers to customers with nonrefundable tickets.

Arlington, Va.-based US Airways, the sixth-largest U.S. airline, said in August that it was cutting services such as frequent-flier benefits and standby flights to budget travelers as part of a cost-cutting plan.

The rollback of these policies will let travelers with nonrefundable tickets, which generally are cheaper and do not allow for travel flexibility, to fly standby for a $100 fee. The change, set to start Jan. 1, matches a policy set by rival American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.

The airline did not change its new policy of restricting passengers who buy nonrefundable tickets for many routes in North America and Europe from using the value of an unused ticket as a credit toward the purchase of another one.