Delta to Resume Nonstop Flights Between Colorado Springs and Atlanta Next Year

Sep. 19—Delta Air Lines will resume its nonstop flight between Colorado Springs Airport and Atlanta International Airport next June after plans to bring back the flight this summer were stalled amid a hectic travel season.

The nonstop flight will start from Atlanta to Colorado Springs on June 5, 2023, with outbound flights from Colorado Springs to begin the next day.

"We cannot express how excited we are that our partners at Delta Air Lines have added Atlanta nonstop service at the Colorado Springs Airport back to their schedule," said Greg Phillips, city aviation director, in a news release issued Monday. "This route opens a large network of domestic and international travel for Colorado Springs."

The Atlanta-based carrier had operated the route since 1997 before suspending it March 31, 2020, in the early days of the pandemic. In March of this year, it announced it would resume the flights Aug. 8 only to halt those plans this summer amid tight staffing and high traffic.

Atlanta is that last major destination to restore service from the four airlines that were serving Colorado Springs after the pandemic triggered widespread reductions in travel that led carriers to suspend service. In March 2021, Southwest Airlines became the fifth airline to serve the airport.

Now that number is dropping back to four as Frontier Airlines announced this month it will be ending service to the Springs on Nov. 4. Frontier was hit hard by Southwest's expansion to Colorado Springs; through July of this year, Frontier saw a nearly 30% drop in passenger traffic from the same period last year.

The airport, meanwhile, has seen declining traffic over the summer when compared with 2021; there was a 5.5% drop in traffic in July compared with July 2021.

Phillips, though, expects numbers to pick up during the holiday season, especially with the addition of a seasonal route Southwest will offer to San Diego starting in late November.

Delta, meanwhile, which currently offers service to Salt Lake City with three nonstop daily flights, will update the route Oct. 6 to an E175 aircraft that offers three classes and additional seats. Delta is the airport's smallest carrier, boarding 4.6% of its departing passengers last year.

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