Delta drops final 2 transcon routes from New York LaGuardia, shortest flight from Miami
Delta Air Lines seemingly wasn't successful in its coast-to-coast missions from New York's most convenient airport.
The carrier filed plans over the weekend to drop its last two remaining transcontinental routes from its hub at New York's LaGuardia Airport (LGA), as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
Specifically, Delta will cease flying between LGA and Las Vegas on Feb. 24, 2024, and Salt Lake City on March 30, 2024. The airline had previously only flown these routes on Saturdays with just one frequency in each direction.
These two cuts come less than a month after Delta slashed its two other transcontinental routes from LGA, which served Los Angeles and Phoenix.
Interestingly, Delta announced all four of these coast-to-coast routes in June. This about-face comes less than six months after the airline's network planning team thought these flights might've been successful.
That said, many aviation observers thought that these flights were doomed from the start.
That's because of LaGuardia's "perimeter rule," which restricts airlines from flying to airports farther than 1,500 miles away with just two exceptions: routes to Denver and any flight operated on Saturdays.
Saturday-only service isn't typically all that lucrative, especially for domestic routes. Saturdays are usually the quietest day of the week to fly, and with nearly no business travel demand, airlines must compete for their share of the leisure market traveling during the weekend — a segment that historically hasn't been all that profitable for airlines.
(LaGuardia is also slot-constrained, meaning that airlines need special takeoff and landing permissions to operate flights there, but slots are not needed for flights on Saturdays.)
Over the years, Delta and its competitors have tried these once-weekly flights without much success. The airline last flew from LGA to Las Vegas in 2006 and to Salt Lake City in 2010, Cirium schedules show. In 2019, the carrier experimented with serving Bozeman, Montana, on Saturdays from LaGuardia. This service to a smaller, more popular, leisure-focused city didn't survive more than a single summer season.
During the pandemic, Spirit Airlines launched a 2,469-mile transcontinental route from LaGuardia to Los Angeles, but that service has since been cut.
Without these transcon flights, Delta's new longest route from LaGuardia will become its daily service to Denver (the only exemption to the airport's perimeter rule).
While Delta might be cutting its longest route from New York, it's doing exactly the opposite in Miami, where it's slashing its shortest route.
The carrier launched daily, year-round flights from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, in November. Now, this 183-mile service is being cut after just three months. Delta's final flight from Miami to Nassau will take off on Jan. 31, 2024.
Though Miami isn't a hub for Delta, it's slowly becoming a key gateway city for the airline thanks to Delta's joint venture partnership with LATAM, the South American juggernaut, which was announced in 2019.
As part of Delta's investment in LATAM, the airlines are building a strategic alliance, boosting flights in key U.S. gateway airports — such as Miami — to Latin America.
Delta has said that Miami will become a so-called "gateway hub," but it'll have one less flight starting in January.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.