US airlines get DOT approval to ditch flights at 75 airports
US airlines have got the final approval to halt flights at another 75 airports to ease their cash burn.
The Covid-19 pandemic has ravaged travel demand and the insistence on operating near-empty flights at the airports has hit airline finances hard.
The US transportation department said all the airports will still be served by at least one carrier.
It means both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines can both halt flights at 11 airports.
For Delta it means it can end service at airports such as Aspen, Bangor, Maine, Santa Barbara, CA, and Flint, Michigan.
For United it includes Key West, Florida, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach.
Allegiant Air may halt service at six airports, while JetBlue Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines are permitted to stop flying to five airports each.
As part of the industry-wide $25 billion government payroll aid program, airlines were forced to maintain minimum service levels but over time successfully lobbied the DOT to be more lenient.
The DOT had allowed service suspensions for some airlines at some airports on a case-by-case basis, and the new ruling likely makes it fairer for all fifteen US airlines affected.
Although airlines are reporting a slight uptick in demand, passenger loadings still remain at just a fraction of normal levels while the industry as a whole is burning through a combined $10 billion a month.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025