Delta reducing flights from Atlanta base

Delta Air Lines will cut capacity out of its base at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport by six percent.

The capacity reductions come are part of the Atlanta-based carrier’s overall efforts to trim domestic capacity by 13 percent, as an important means of coping with rising fuel prices. Delta has reported that soaring fuel prices have already had a negative impact of $4 billion on its operations.

Most of the cuts will come from a decrease in frequency of service to some destinations, such as Myrtle Beach in South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. Some markets are being cut altogether, said Delta spokesperson Susan Chana Elliott.

Service from Atlanta to Corpus Christi, Texas, Lansing, Michigan, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, State College, Pennsylvania, and Toledo, Ohio has been terminated.

To date, international capacity has seen a 12 percent increase, according to Elliott, which means that Delta has not experienced a net loss in overall capacity in relation to Atlanta.

“Atlanta continues to be a vital hub for the Delta network, particularly on the international side where we continue to grow,” added Elliott.

Destinations that have been hit harder include Las Vegas, Nevada and Orlando, Florida, according to Elliott, and many domestic cuts have occurred at stops that skip Delta hubs.

www.delta.com