Rivals of America West Join in Halving Fares : Transportation: A boon to consumers, the sale is certain to deepen airlines’ staggering losses.

Most airlines matched America West’s half-price ticket offer Thursday, signaling the industry’s desperation over the slump in travel since the Persian Gulf War began.

Industry analysts said the half-price offer is certain to deepen staggering airline losses, which have already pushed two major airlines into bankruptcy.

The half-price sale is good news for consumers, especially those with travel plans for Phoenix and Las Vegas, where the promotion mostly applies. The sale is also good news for beleaguered travel agents, hit hard by the plunge in travel.

Hollywood travel agent Adele Klate said her office was so deadly quiet last week that she brought in a masseuse to treat 15 depressed employees to a “tension-relieving” massage. Phones were ringing again Thursday. “Maybe things are starting to pick up,” she said.

Industry analysts said the half-price sale would probably hurt cash-hungry America West most. Because other airlines are also offering half-price tickets, America West probably will lose money on the promotion without attracting many new customers.

“They may have shot themselves in the foot,” said Thomas Longman, an analyst with Bear, Stearns & Co. in New York.

Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Trans World Airlines, United Airlines and USAir offered half-price sales on routes where they compete with Phoenix-based America West. Late Thursday, American Airlines expanded the offer to 100 cities in the East and West where it does not necessarily compete with America West. That may trigger the other airlines to also broaden the sale. Except for TWA, Northwest and America West, the three-day sale, which ends Saturday, applies to excursion fares only.

America West’s archrival, no-frills Southwest Airlines, offered one-way fares for $20 from Phoenix and Las Vegas, continuing the cutthroat battle for customers in those two cities. Southwest’s one-way, $20-fare promotion in California recently helped drive two bigger rivals, American and USAir, from many cities in the state’s heavily traveled north-south corridor.

Analysts viewed the half-price sale as a sign that America West faces a cash crunch. Without last fall’s $140-million infusion from aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industrie, America West might have run out of money, industry analysts said. America West reported it had $100 million in cash at the end of December.

One possible source of cash for America West is Ansett Airlines, an Australian carrier which owns 20% of its stock. The U.S. government recently relaxed its rules on foreign ownership, potentially allowing Ansett to increase its investment in America West considerably. However, Ansett is half-owned by Rupert Murdoch’s troubled News Corp. and is believed to be for sale.

An America West spokesman denied speculation that the airline, which lost $74.7 million last year, badly needed cash.