Delta Air Lines petitioned the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) for a waiver to suspend service to nine non-hub airports, arguing that further network consolidation is critical to protecting the health of airport workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, carriers receiving aid must continue operating to all domestic points in their networks “to the extent reasonable or practicable.”
The nine markets that Delta wants to temporarily exit are all small and mid-size non-hub destinations: Brunswick, Georgia; Flint, Michigan; Hilton Head, South Carolina; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Lansing, Michigan; Melbourne, Florida; Peoria, Illinois; Pocatello, Idaho and Worcester, Massachusetts.
All of the markets targeted for suspension are located within a 60-minute drive of other airports served by Delta. For example, Worcester is a roughly 54-minute drive to Delta’s Boston hub, while Flint is just over 60 minutes driving time from its Detroit hub.
April load factors at the affected points range from just 7% at Hilton Head and Peoria to a high of 13% in Melbourne. In terms of passengers flown, the average Delta flight out of Worcester carried just one passenger this month. That number was three at Melbourne and Peoria, four at Hilton Head and five at Kalamazoo.
“Delta submits that the public interest in protecting airport workers from the risk of exposure to a potentially deadly virus outweighs the inconvenience of the additional driving distance to access Delta’s network for such a small number of passengers,” the carrier stated.
Delta did not request extensive relief in its initial exemption application, asking for and receiving a waiver to delay a handful of seasonal services until their normal May and June start dates. The DOT has so far been unwilling to provide substantial relief for most airlines, making an exception for some services operated by smaller carriers to large hub airports with abundant connectivity.
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