New Date Set for Delta's Boise-Atlanta Nonstop Flight After COVID Delayed Initial Takeoff

After a few months’ delay, Boiseans soon will be able to fly directly to Atlanta.

The Boise Airport announced Monday that Delta Air Lines will begin nonstop service to one of the busiest U.S. airports starting Nov. 20. The flight will be once daily.

It’s the same flight that was originally announced last year. The first direct trips were supposed to begin in July, but a spokesman told the Statesman last month that it was “indefinitely postponed” after coronavirus altered airlines’ plans.

The direct flight is the first to take Boiseans clear to the Eastern time zone. It will be the longest route served from Boise, according to the release, and is the farthest to the east. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is Delta’s largest hub.

“Recruiting nonstop service to Atlanta has been a goal of mine since I joined the Boise Airport in 2012,” Boise Airport Director Rebecca Hupp said in the release. “I couldn’t be happier about this announcement and look forward to working with our partners at Delta to ensure the success of this route.”

The flight will leave Boise daily at 1:30 p.m. and arrive in Atlanta at 7:20 p.m. local time. A return flight will leave Atlanta each day at 9:40 a.m. and arrive in Boise at 12:09 p.m. local time.

The new flight is one of several announced from BOI since the coronavirus pandemic began. The others include a twice-weekly Allegiant flight to Palm Springs, California, a daily Alaska Airlines flight to the same location and an Alaska Airlines route to San Francisco that will go twice daily. Sean Briggs, spokesperson for the Boise Airport, said Alaska would also increase the frequency of flights between Boise and Los Angeles from one flight to three daily.

Alaska Airlines also announced earlier this year that it would begin offering daily service between Boise and Everett, Washington, but Briggs said that remained postponed. The daily flight was supposed to begin in June.

Airport officials predicted last year that 2020 would be a record-breaking year for the airport. More passengers and flights were expected than ever before, but passenger numbers dipped significantly in March and April and coronavirus fears kept would-be passengers home.

In Boise and across the country, passenger numbers have started to rebound, but they’re not back to where they once were. More than 150,000 passengers went through the Boise Airport in July, the most recent month numbers are available. That is down 61% from July 2019, but an improvement from April, when the number of total passengers — just over 18,000 — was down 94% from the year before.

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