Travelers who seek the best care in the air may want to double-check the fall flight schedule from Midwest Airlines.

Midwest announced Sunday that it will cut all flights from Kansas City International Airport to San Antonio and San Diego and end nonstop service to Orlando, Fla., and Madison, Wis. The airline will suspend flights to Orlando from Sept. 8 to Oct. 20, after which Kansas City passengers can fly to Orlando via Midwest’s primary hub in Milwaukee. Nationwide, Midwest will reduce its number of flights by 30 to 40 percent.

The move comes one week after Midwest announced that it would cut its work force by 40 percent, including 110 of the 274 employees in Kansas City.

James Rao flies to Boston an average of once per year for business. The Missouri Western graduate said he does not fly often, but when he does, he likes Midwest for its roomy seats and nonstop flights. Mr. Rao does not know what he would do if he had to find another airline.

“It’s a convenience issue for me, but that’s not as important as people losing their jobs,” Mr. Rao said as he gestured toward the workers at Midwest’s ticket counter. “I could find another airline. It’s not as easy to find another job.”

Midwest attributed the cuts to high fuel prices.

Justin Meyer, manager of air services development at KCI, echoed the airline’s sentiments. He said that record fuel prices cramp customers’ budgets so they cannot afford a vacation. At the same time, the high prices force airlines to trim flights or raise fares.

Mr. Meyer said KCI’s passenger capacity for October was expected to drop 20 percent below 2007 levels, though he thinks the statistics are a bit misleading. KCI added more flights than any airport in the nation in 2007, he said, and the upcoming cuts will bring the airport closer to its 2005 capacity.

Flight capacity at KCI is expected to trail the 2005 totals by 6 percent, while peer-sized airports in Cincinnati (down 50 percent) and Oakland (down 20 percent) have fared worse in the same time period, according to Mr. Meyer.

“We’re not a hub, so we don’t have as much risk,” he said.

Midwest was not the first airline to announce a reduced fall flight schedule. United Airlines and Continental each announced in June that they would cut their domestic flight schedules in the fourth-quarter of 2008, including departures from Kansas City.

“Quite a few carriers have already shown their cards and Midwest was one of the last to do so,” Mr. Meyer said. “I’m sure we’ll see some more reductions, but I think Midwest was one of the last.”

Business reporter Clinton Thomas can be reached at clintonthomas@npgco.com.