(Memphis) Delta Airlines pulls the plug on its hub in Memphis Tuesday.
The airline is dropping dozens of flights, and it looks like it will drop dozens more before it’s all over.
Travelers like Mark Goodman worry what’s to come.
“I can imagine that the times you are able to choose from are going to be a little more difficult,” he says.
Delta says demand has fallen in the Mid-South, fuel prices are rising, and they are losing money.
In addition, they say most flights out of Memphis call for a 50-seat regional jet, and the airline is phasing those planes out.
The departure means around 230 people will lose their jobs, and nearly 30 flights will be eliminated from the schedule.
“It definitely does concern me knowing that they are going to cut a lot of flights,” says Goodman.
And with fewer flights, ticket prices are likely to climb.
“It’s expensive enough as it is to fly and on top of having to pay for luggage too, I don’t like that,” says traveler Joey Czarnik.
This fall, Delta will have around 60 daily flights coming in and out of Memphis.
Before Delta merged with Northwest, the two airlines offered four times that.
Delta will no longer offer non-stop flights to the following cities:
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Knoxville, Tennessee
Little Rock, Arkansas
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Omaha, Nebraska
Phoenix, Arizona
St. Louis, Missouri
Shreveport, Louisiana
Tulsa, Oklahoma
