(This story has been updated to reflect where Delta flies from Flint.)
FLINT, MI -- Delta Air Lines, which lost $534 million in the first three months of this year, wants to suspend all flights to and from Flint, Lansing and Kalamazoo without forfeiting money it’s receiving in response to the COVID-19 emergency.
Delta said in a filing with the federal government Monday, April 27, that it’s seeking an exemption from the service operation agreement it reached with the Treasury Department earlier this year -- a deal that guaranteed a minimum number of flights in return for billions in federal money to help them cover payroll costs through September.
“Delta remains committed to ensuring that every community it serves will continue to receive convenient access to its domestic network during this public health emergency,” the filing says. "However, nothing is more important to Delta than the safety of its employees and customers. During this pandemic, airport employees and crews must place themselves at risk to staff each flight and Delta seeks to reduce this risk as much as possible.
“One way Delta seeks to minimize health risks to its workforce is by limiting the number of airport stations that remain open for business during the COVID-19 health emergency to reduce the total number of airport staff who must report to frontline work.”
The request covers the three Michigan airports as well as airports in Melbourne, Florida; Worcester, Maine; Brunswick, Georgia; Peoria, Illinois; Pocatello, Idaho; and Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Delta said its business in those areas has dried up, flying an average of just eight passengers per day from April 1-22 from Flint, six from Lansing and five from Kalamazoo.
In Flint, the airline flies to Atlanta. It serves Detroit and Minneapolis from Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, and flies from Detroit to Lansing.
Members of the Bishop Airport Authority in Flint said Tuesday, April 28, that the request by Delta is just the latest marker in an airline industry that’s been grounded by the coronavirus pandemic.
About 2.3 million people passed through security checkpoints nationwide on March 1, unchanged from the same day last year, according to a recent report from The Associated Press. The numbers fell sharply lower from that point on, plunging below 100,000 by early April — a drop of about 95 percent.
“I am really concerned with where this goes,” said Bishop Airport Authority Chairman Winfield Cooper. “I don’t expect people to fly much ... until there’s a vaccine” for coronavirus. “I’m sorry, but that’s the way I feel. We are in a very dynamic situation.”
Delta’s filing with the Department of Transportation says it recognizes that granting its exemption request may result in an inconvenience for fliers who will have to drive farther to access its flights.
“However, that inconvenience is outweighed by the public health and safety of the employees that Delta is trying to protect,” the airline filing says. “This is especially true given the limited number of passengers who will be affected, as reflected in the passenger counts” from the affected airports.
The airline says fliers who would typically use the airport in Flint can still use Delta flights in Detroit, 74 miles away, and passengers from Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport and Lansing’s Capital Region International Airport can travel less than 60 miles to flights in Grand Rapids.
This is the second exemption request that’s been filed for the Kalamazoo airport this month.
United Airlines also petitioned the Department of Transportation on April 11 for an exemption that would allow them to suspend operations there without jeopardizing its federal funds.
That request was rejected.
“Delta is aware that the Department recently denied United’s request for exemptions with respect to Green Bay, Gunnison, Ithaca, Kalamazoo, Santa Fe and Valparaiso,” the airline’s filing says. "United sought relief for those points for solely economic reasons, highlighting historically low load factors ...
“Here, by contrast, Delta seeks an exemption to protect the health and safety of airport staff by reducing their exposure to the health risks associated with COVID-19. Delta submits that the public interest in protecting airport workers from the risk of exposure to a potentially deadly virus outweighs the inconvenience of the additional driving distance to access Delta’s network for such a small number of passengers.”
Craig Williams, director of the Kalamazoo airport, said officials there have not made a decision whether to file an official response to the Delta request to suspend flights and did not file a response to the United Airlines petition. Bishop Airport officials said they do not expect to file a response to the filing and agreed to drop all landing and terminal rental charges for airlines that continue to fly for at least the next three months.
“Any time that an airline is looking to leave a community, even temporarily, you’re disappointed,” Williams wrote in an email to The Journal. “However, these are unprecedented times for the country, and specifically, for the aviation industry. Our strong business travel in Kalamazoo and southwest Michigan depends on air service to connect them with the world and Delta serves our region through Minneapolis and Detroit quite well.”
Delta said in an email to The Journal that its exemption request is focused on areas that are in markets served by multiple airports.
“These proposed changes will help reduce the number of our frontline employees at risk of exposure, while ensuring convenient access to Delta’s network for those who must travel,” the Delta statement says. "If the request is granted, Delta will work to re-accommodate customers; we also will provide pay protection for employees through Sept. 30, 2020. We continue to evaluate opportunities to take similar measures in other markets as needed.”
Kalamazoo airport loses 94% of passengers amid pandemic
Flint Bishop Airport stays open, starts checking passenger temperatures
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