May 7--Record high fuel prices are further reducing airline service in Tulsa, industry officials say.

ExpressJet Airlines, the Houston-based carrier that began direct service from Tulsa to the West Coast last year, has reduced service but is still operating four round-trip flights a day in Tulsa, company executives said Tuesday.

The carrier reduced Tulsa round-trip service in December, and then eliminated service entirely in April to San Antonio and Austin, said ExpressJet spokeswoman Kristy Nicholas.

From 10 round-trip flights a day to six cities a year ago, ExpressJet in Tulsa now operates one round-trip flight a day to four cities: Albuquerque, San Diego, Ontario and Sacramento, Nicholas said.

"It's because of the continued challenges of high fuel prices," Nicholas said in a telephone interview. "Typically, we give a market 12 to 18 months to develop market brand awareness and gain market share. But with fuel setting new high price records every day, you don't have the luxury of time.

"You have to make these hard decisions more quickly."

High fuel prices have propelled several carriers into Chapter 11 bankruptcy

filings during the past month.

Frontier Airlines, which operates flights between Tulsa and Denver, filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors in April.