Delta Air Lines Stepping Up Presence in Cincinnati

Photo: The Delta terminal at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. (Photo via Flickr/webhishek)

In response to the growing competition in Cincinnati, Delta Air Lines is stepping up its presence at the city’s airport by adding new routes and improving current flight schedules.

According to Fox Business, Delta’s presence at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport has been declining over the last 10 years—the airline operates fewer than 100 daily departures from the facility—but competition in the market is forcing the carrier to reconsider how it prioritizes the airport.

Not only have more low-cost carriers such as Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air moved into the Cincinnati market, but Southwest Airlines also announced that it was moving into the region beginning on June 4. Southwest will offer five daily flights to Chicago and three daily flights to Baltimore/Washington.

While Delta once operated 600 daily departures out of Cincinnati in 2005, it is now increasing its service once again in response to the introduction of Southwest into the market. Starting this summer, Delta will add extra flights to five key markets—Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Orlando and Toronto—and upgrade to larger planes for flights to Denver and Minneapolis.

In addition, Delta also announced plans to extend its seasonal service to Fort Myers and Seattle, as well as improve its flight schedules for several other routes. The changes will increase the airline’s capacity in Cincinnati by an estimated six percent and raise the percentage of flights with first class seats to more than 75 percent.

With Delta’s focus on business travelers, adding more premium service and planes with first-class seating will help the carrier regain its hold on the Cincinnati market. The airline won’t be adding too much capacity, but the additional service should continue to allow Delta to thrive in Cincinnati.

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