FLINT, MI — Delta Airlines is putting itself in position to gain from the loss of AirTran Airways flights to Atlanta.
Bishop Airport spokeswoman Pat Corfman said in an email today, May 8, that Delta has committed to adding 60 more seats a day from Flint to Atlanta by using an Airbus 319 on its daily noon departures starting in June.
A Delta spokesman confirmed the plan.
Delta was Bishop’s top airline in 2012, accounting for about 44 percent of all departing passengers from Flint. It flies two departures daily to Atlanta in addition to flights to Detroit and Minneapolis.
Airline spokesman Anthony Black said Delta will use a 126-seat Airbus to replace an existing 60-seat regional jet flight at Bishop. making room for more fliers.
“It is in place to capture what we believe will be increased demand,” Black said.
Delta recently announced something similar at the Greater Rochester International Airport in Rochester, N.Y., according to a report in the Rochester Business Journal.
Delta is upgrading its fleet in Rochester — also to provide more seats for nonstop flights to Atlanta beginning in July, the report says.
Like Flint, Rochester also recently lost AirTran service to Atlanta.
Until last month, both Delta and AirTran ferried Flint fliers to and from Atlanta, but Southwest Airlines shifted flights in a new direction when it took over AirTran operations at Bishop.
A Southwest spokeswoman said this week that the airline is constantly reviewing the markets it serves and could make changes in its routes based on customer demand and profitable routes.
The airline’s Flint schedule through the December holiday includes nonstop flights to Tampa, Orlando, Baltimore, and Las Vegas.
Southwest has actually increased seat availability for customers by 14 percent and increased the number of available destinations by 40 percent compared to AirTran Service.
