June 27 (Bloomberg) -- US Airways Group Inc. will end curbside luggage check-in at 34 U.S. airports, including New York's Kennedy and Washington's Dulles, as it adds a $15 fee for passengers' first bag.

At 23 other airports, US Airways will replace contract skycap workers with its own employees, spokesman Morgan Durrant said today. The changes are designed to reduce delays as travelers adjust to the new fee and to comply with terms of a union contract, the airline said in an employee newsletter.

The fee is among steps being taken by Tempe, Arizona-based US Airways and other airlines to blunt the impact of an 89 percent one-year jump in jet-fuel prices.

``We're planning for a smooth transition and we expect to be well positioned to accommodate customers when our first-bag policy takes effect,'' Jim Vallillo, who is leading the curbside change project for US Airways, said in the newsletter.

Curbside check-in will end at the 34 airports on July 9, when the new fee starts, Durrant said. Use of skycaps will end the same day except at US Airways' hubs and largest airports, where customer-service agents will gradually take on bag-check duties.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mary Schlangenstein in Dallas at maryc.s@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 27, 2008 12:03 EDT