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.
Related reading:
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 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. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
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 $8,000 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.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.