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The sun has set on discounted airfares for hundreds of thousands of seniors. Blame airline cutbacks.

United Airlines on Sunday stopped accepting new members for its Silver Wings program, which offers double mileage, flight vouchers and special zoned fares for customers 55 and older.

In a statement on the program's website, www.silverwingsplus.com, United said it took the action to "control costs, optimize revenue and respond to customer feedback."

Among the savings for the airline is the cost of paying vendors to operate the program, spokesman Jeff Kovick said.

Fewer than 1% of the nearly 50 million frequent fliers in United's Mileage Plus program belong to Silver Wings, according to Kovick. He declined to provide an exact number or to say whether membership had been rising or falling.

Once common, discounted airfares for seniors are getting scarce.

American Airlines in 2005 stopped offering such fares, except for travel to Chile, Ecuador, Honduras and Panama. The discounts, ranging from 10% to 50% off certain fare classes, cannot be booked online, said spokesman Tim Wagner; customers must call (800) 433-7300. The age cutoff is 60 or 65, depending on the country.

"The issue, frankly, is that fares are so cheap today," Wagner said. Because senior discounts may not apply to the lowest fares, older fliers sometimes are better off booking at market rates, he added.

Also in 2005, America West got rid of its Senior Saver Pack, a four-coupon discount book.

Southwest Airlines still sells senior fares, which like its other fares are available on its website, www.southwest.com. Savings vary. A round-trip ticket between LAX and Phoenix for Sept. 18 to 20, for instance, cost $182.80, including taxes, when checked online Tuesday. That was $64 more than Southwest's lowest Internet fare and $78 less than the "refundable anytime" fare.

United's senior program had three levels: a lifetime membership and annual Silver Wings Preferred and Silver Wings Plus memberships.

Silver Wings Plus members earned double mileage and got access to zoned senior fares. Preferred members got these benefits plus travel vouchers of $300 per year.

Plus members can continue to book zoned fares through the end of their annual membership, but they cannot renew it, Kovick said. Preferred members can no longer book zoned fares, but they can get pro-rated refunds on their $240 annual membership fees and also apply unused travel vouchers to future trips, he added.