Delta cuts nonstops to six small cities

By By Kelly Yamanouchi

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As Delta Air Lines shrinks its flight schedule this fall amid the global recession, Atlanta will lose its nonstop flights to several small cities including five in the Midwest and one in New England.

Route cuts taking effect this month include the elimination of nonstops between Atlanta and Peoria, Ill; Lincoln, Neb.; Burlington, Vt.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Madison, Wis.

The cuts are part of Atlanta-based Delta’s 10 percent flight capacity cut this year, which also includes a number of high-profile international routes.

AirTran Airways, which has its largest hub in Atlanta and is Delta’s biggest competitor for Atlanta fliers, does not fly between Atlanta and any of the U.S. cities being cut from Delta’s nonstop roster.

However, Delta said it will continue to serve the cities with connections through other hubs, such as Detroit, Minneapolis or New York.

Despite the trimming, spokesman Kent Landers said Delta is maintaining the basic scope of its flight schedule from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Landers said Delta will continue to offer roughly 1,000 daily departures to about 220 destinations from Atlanta on peak days, close to levels last year.

The domestic route cuts come on top of Delta’s elimination of international routes from Atlanta to Shanghai; Seoul; Mumbai; and Cape Town, South Africa.