With Syracuse-To-Atlanta Air Service Plagued By Soaring Fares, Fewer Flights, Schumer Calls On Delta CEO To Upgrade Vital Route For Central New Yorker

Press Release

With Syracuse-To-Atlanta Air Service Plagued By Soaring Fares, Fewer Flights, Schumer Calls On Delta CEO To Upgrade Vital Route For Central New Yorkers

With Delta Air Lines service between Syracuse, NY and Atlanta, GA, plagued by decreased capacity and skyrocketing fares, today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer called on the airline's CEO Gerald Grinstein to upgrade air service between the two cities. Schumer cited the airline's recent service cuts between the two cities that have left passengers paying between $900 and $1,400 to fly on small, uncomfortable aircraft, and could potentially hamper Central New York's economic growth.

In a personal letter sent to CEO Grinstein, Schumer requested that Delta provide affordable, regular and reliable air service to the national hub, Atlanta, for Central New Yorkers. Schumer also assisted in arranging a meeting scheduled for next week between the MDA, Mayor Driscoll and executives from Delta Air Lines to discuss improving service and reducing fares between Syracuse, and Atlanta and improve overall relationship between Delta and Hancock International Airport.

"In recent years, service between Syracuse and Atlanta has deteriorated to such a level that passengers are paying through the nose just to be sandwiched on to small, uncomfortable planes," said Senator Schumer. "This is a major route for many of the 1.8 million passengers who use Hancock Airport every year. And it's vital to business travelers and to the revitalization of the region's economy. Central New Yorkers need and deserve reliable and affordable air service to a major hub like Atlanta."

"Delta is a long standing provider of reliable air service at Syracuse, and I look forward to meeting with Delta officials and working towards a solution that benefits both the airline and its Syracuse passengers," said Mayor Driscoll. "Atlanta has always been a top-destination for the business traveler, and I am optimistic that we can discuss what options are available to the Syracuse market,"

"These fares must change to be more competitive with flights to comparable markets around the country," said Irwin Davis, president & CEO of the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York. "I look forward to meeting with Delta to reach a solution that will be mutually beneficial to the airline and travelers between Syracuse and Atlanta."

Over the past several years, the quality and frequency of Delta service between Syracuse and Atlanta has substantially declined, leaving passengers with fewer options and higher ticket prices. In 2005, Delta operated 5 flights a day to Atlanta: four of the flights were served by MD-80 aircraft which have a capacity of 142 people, the fifth flight was served by a 70-seat flight regional jet, giving the route a total capacity of 638 people per day. Tickets were generally priced between $500-600 roundtrip, a price that, while expensive, fit within budget for business travelers.

By 2006, Delta was operating 5 flights a day, but instead using smaller, less comfortable planes, which reduced the overall daily service between the two cities to 400 people. Making matters worse, beginning Friday of this week Delta will further scale back service by using four 50-seat regional jets and one 70 foot plane to fly the route. This new schedule eliminates the one MD-80 still making the trip, and trims the total daily capacity to 270 passengers.

Further burdening passengers is the fact that average prices for the route now ranges from $900 to $1400. Senator Schumer added, "It's absurd that the short flight between Syracuse and Atlanta can be more expensive than flying to London, Hawaii or Hong Kong."

In recent years, job growth in Syracuse has increased faster than the national average due to the strength of the region's budding technology, bioscience and financial services sectors. For many new and existing businesses flying out from Hancock, Atlanta is a critical business destination. A recent survey by the MDA found that 64% of respondents rated Atlanta as an "important" or "highly important" destination for their business. Located just minutes from downtown Syracuse, the airport serves 1.8 million travelers in a catchment area in Central New York.

Today, Senator Schumer called on Delta CEO Grinstein to reverse the cut backs in service between the two cities and work to provide Central New Yorkers with affordable, regular and quality air service to Atlanta. In his letter to the CEO, Schumer wrote, "In recent years, the level of service between these two cities has decreased, the size of the aircraft flying the route cut back, and the fares raised. These cut backs represent an unnecessary burden to Central New York travelers and have limited economic growth in Central New York."

Schumer also worked to arrange a meeting next week between Mayor Driscoll, the MDA and executives from Delta Airlines to discuss improving the overall relationships between Delta and Hancock International Airport.

Rochester - a similarly sized city 65 miles to the west of Syracuse -- had cheaper fares to Atlanta and 44,000 emplanements in the 3rd Quarter of 2006. Over the same period, Syracuse had only 21,000 emplanements and charged much more expensive fares, a strong indication that many Syracuse-based air travelers are driving to Rochester to take advantage of the cheaper fares.

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