Wednesday, November 6, 2024
HomeTravelDelta cuts one other US vacation spot, provides new Boston routes in...

Delta cuts one other US vacation spot, provides new Boston routes in newest community shake-up


The network planners at Delta Air Lines have been quite busy.

Last week, the Atlanta-based carrier shared its hotly anticipated summer 2025 transatlantic schedule, and now the airline is back with another network update — this time, for domestic and short-haul international routes.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Delta pulls out of Casper

To start, Delta is cutting flights to Casper, Wyoming, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson. Delta’s last flight to Casper will be Dec. 3, 2024, after which the carrier will cease daily flying to Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR) from Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).

Delta’s Casper flights have historically been operated by regional affiliate SkyWest Airlines on board the 50-seat Bombardier CRJ-200 jet.

“Effective Dec. 4, 2024, SkyWest will discontinue its Delta Connection service from Casper, Wyoming. Customers with bookings beyond this date will be contacted directly to modify their travel plans. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” a carrier spokesperson said.

Without Delta service, Casper will remain served by United Express’ multiple daily flights from Denver.

Casper is the latest small U.S. city to lose connectivity with a major U.S. airline. During the coronavirus pandemic, the big U.S. airlines, particularly Delta and United Airlines, slashed their regional networks and dropped more than 50 small U.S. cities.

Delta’s flights to Casper have historically been subsidized by the local municipality in the form of minimum revenue guarantees. Earlier this year, the Natrona County Board of County Commissioners decided to stop the MRGs, and now Delta has decided to cut its flights to the city, likely because they weren’t profitable without the subsidy.

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Delta adds more Boston routes

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Elsewhere, Delta is growing in Boston with the addition of two new domestic routes: Asheville, North Carolina, and Bozeman, Montana.

Flights to Asheville kick off May 10, 2025, and will operate on Saturdays and Sundays. Delta Connection affiliate Republic Airways will operate this flight using an Embraer E175 regional jet.

Meanwhile, service to Bozeman will operate during the peak winter and summer periods. From Dec. 21, 2024, to Jan. 5, 2025, Delta will offer one daily flight in each direction. Then, from Feb. 15, 2025, to March 31, 2025, Delta will offer weekend service from Boston to Bozeman.

Delta will also offer weekend flights on this route from June 8, 2025, to Sept. 7, 2025, during the summer season.

Value check: Are airline credit cards worth it anymore?

In addition to the new routes, Delta will boost service in existing leisure markets from Boston throughout the spring and summer. The airline is making the biggest changes to its spring break schedule, which runs from April 19-27, 2025. During this period, the airline will make the following capacity increases:

Destination Current​  Additions 
Cancun, Mexico Once​ on Saturdays Twice on Saturdays​ 
Charleston, South Carolina Once​ daily  Two times daily
Fort Lauderdale Three times​ daily Four times daily 
Fort Myers, Florida Two times daily  Three times​ daily 
Miami Two times​ daily Three times​ daily 
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina N/A Weekend only​ 
Orlando Four times​ daily  Five times​ daily 
Pensacola, Florida N/A Weekend only​ 
Phoenix 10 times per week  Two times daily 
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Once​ on Saturdays Twice on Saturdays​ 
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Once​ on Saturdays Twice on Saturdays​ 
Sarasota, Florida Weekend only  Once daily and upgauge
Savannah, Georgia Once​ daily Upgauge
Tampa Three times daily  Four times daily 
West Palm Beach, Florida Two times daily Three times daily 

All of the growth in Boston comes as Delta competes with JetBlue for market dominance. JetBlue is trying to return to profitability, and one of the key tenets of the carrier’s “JetForward” plan is maintaining strong relevance in the Boston market.

JetBlue has historically been the biggest carrier in Boston, and despite cutting routes across the country, the airline has maintained the core of its Boston service. In fact, JetBlue announced earlier this year that it would add flights from Boston to Bozeman equipped with its award-winning Mint business-class service.

These peak winter flights will now compete with Delta’s flights in the market. That said, Delta will operate a 132-seat Airbus A319 on this route, so travelers looking for the most comfort will want to splurge for JetBlue’s lie-flat option.

It’ll be interesting to see how the competition between Delta and JetBlue evolves in Boston. But for now, the winners are the local flyers who enjoy more flights at (hopefully) lower prices.

Delta changes New York network

Finally, Delta is also making a few changes in New York.

From its John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) hub, Delta will add service to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN). This route was last operated in 2022, and Delta’s return to the market follows JetBlue’s announcement that it will bring its Mint-equipped Airbus jets to this route for the peak ski season.

Elsewhere in New York, Delta will cease flying from LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD) effective Dec. 23.

When Delta pulls out of the market, travelers heading from Providence to New York will need to either go via Amtrak, drive or fly United Express to Newark.

Related reading:

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisment -

Most Popular

Recent Comments