More Air Fare Wars to Erupt, Experts Predict : Travel: Delta’s transatlantic cuts are a prelude to reductions that will bloody some carriers, analysts say.

NEW YORK —  The fresh round of fare cuts on both domestic and international routes shows that airline price wars are far from over, industry experts say.

“Today the question is not whether we will have an air fare sale, but rather how big the sale will be,” said Tom Parsons, editor of Best Fares, a magazine that compiles discount travel opportunities.

Delta Air Lines has been the instigator behind recent rounds of fare cuts. It moved last week to trim domestic fares. This week it slashed transatlantic ticket prices up to 30%.

The latest move has forced several European airlines to make, or consider making, concessions similar to those of their American competitors.

The German carrier Lufthansa announced that it will lower fares on flights from all 12 of its U.S. gateways to cities in Germany and other European destinations.

British Airways said it will match Delta’s fare cuts on all its U.S. gateways to London and through its London hub on to all the European cities it serves.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is also planning to respond, and Air France “is studying the situation,” a spokesman said.

The latest fare cuts, a faint echo of a wild two-week battle for summer leisure travelers that began in late May, are but a prelude to further bloodletting in the industry, analysts say.

“The great price war of May 26 to June 5 was only a preliminary bout to the main event, which will probably be the mother of all price wars,” said Salomon Bros. airline analyst Julius Maldutis. “The financial damage will be severe, and a number of the troubled carriers will not survive.”

The heavy price cutting in the spring devastated the profits of nearly all the big U.S. carriers. Because so many consumers moved up their travel plans to take advantage of the low summer fares, airlines will be forced to cut prices again, Maldutis said.

The current round of transatlantic cuts may have less significance for European carriers than U.S. airlines because the Europeans rely less on leisure travelers for profits than do U.S. airlines.

“The battles over the back of the plane undermine our yield, but not as much as they do in the U.S. market,” said an executive at a European carrier.

Analysts said Delta cut its European fares because it is the most recent U.S. airline to enter the transatlantic market and needs to attract passengers.

“Having purchased Pan Am’s European routes last year, Delta is the new kid on the block,” said Lee Howard of Airline Economics Inc., a consulting firm. “It is trying to establish a presence and image as a transatlantic carrier.”

But analysts said competitors will not sit back quietly while Delta tries to attract their passengers.