The recent decision by Delta Air Lines to shed
its Dallas/Fort Worth hub has sparked concerns among local travel
organizers, fearful that decreased service will limit flight
options and result in higher airfares.
By dropping 235 of its 256 daily flights by Jan. 31, 2005,
Atlanta-based Delta said it hopes to save $5 billion over the next
two years.
“Losing a carrier like that reduces capacity to many
destinations, and with large group movements, that can be a real
problem,” said Wayne Wallgren, principal of Dallas-based WorldWide
Incentives Inc.
Carol Devine, president of the National Business Travel
Association, said Dallas/Fort Worth area planners are considering
the use of alternate airports, directing employees to fly with
low-cost carriers and loosening direct-service requirements. She
added that industry colleagues share concerns about future hub
closings, as airlines nationwide continue to grapple with
bankruptcy and the looming specter of liquidation.
Airport officials in September said they were in talks with a
number of carriers on expanding or initiating service to DFW,
including Southwest Airlines, which has avoided service to DFW for
30 years.
Even if Dallas succeeds in adding flights from competing
airlines, it could take a while before local planners see air
service fully restored. In Columbus, Ohio, where America West
dropped its hub in February 2003, the number of daily flights has
only recently returned to original levels.
Before the closing, Port Columbus International Airport received
188 flights a day. A year later, activity remained down by nearly
10 percent. By this September, the airport had recovered to 178
flights a day, thanks to additional service from American,
Southwest and US Airways, according to an airport spokesperson.
“Although it took some time, we’re doing okay now,” said Joe
Marinelli, vice president of sales for the Greater Columbus
Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It has not hurt us as dramatically
as we originally thought it would.”
Marinelli’s advice to meeting planners facing a local hub
closing is simple: “Be patient. While one airline might drop its
hub, the other airlines are going to find ways to pick up the
slack.”