Delta Slashes RJs

As part of its domestic retrenchment Delta’s Ed Bastion said the airline will slash up to 25 regional jets as it reorganizes toward international operations, especially to places no other U.S. carrier is going nonstop such as South America, Africa and the Middle East. It is concentrating on markets where economies are growing. Orlando is one of the hardest hit regional jet operations as the carrier also moves away from heavily competitive leisure markets. It is also cutting 20 mainline jets in its domestic retrenchment which is eliminating point-to-point operations in favor of hub service. In addition to Orlando, the airline has already announced it is cutting Salt Lake City to Bellingham, Wash., and Fargo N.D., as of April 30 for a total of eight destinations eliminated from SLC since January when it cut nonstop service to Birmingham, Ala.; Des Moines, Iowa; Fayetteville, Ark.; Memphis, Tenn.; Milwaukee; and Sioux Falls, S.D. From Orlando it is cutting Charleston, S.C.; Columbia, S.C.; Greensboro, N.C.; and Little Rock, Ark, points that have no other nonstop competition. It is also ending its nonstop service to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas as well as reducing Orlando service to Boston, New Orleans, Richmond, Raleigh and Knoxville, Tenn.