Delta Adding More Flights To And From LaGuardia
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Delta Air Lines Inc. is boosting its flying out of LaGuardia Airport, adding routes that target American Airlines and put it in a better position to compete against United.
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Delta says the additions make it the biggest airline between the New York area and cities in the U.S. That should help it grab more business travelers.
EXTRA: List Of Delta's New Flights
"By the summer of 2012, we'll be adding more than 100 new daily flights for 29 cities from LaGuardia," Senior Vice President of Operations Gail Grimmet said. "We'll be adding 4 million more seats a year to the market which will mean more competition and more choices for New York travelers and for people coming to New York."
In total, Delta will operate more than 260 daily flights to more than 60 cities -- that's in addition to the 140 flights to 80 destinations out of Kennedy Airport.
The list of added cities reads like a map of the hubs of competing airlines. Delta is adding Miami and Dallas, which are both American Airlines hubs. It will also fly to Houston and Denver, which are both United hubs, and Charlotte, which is a hub for US Airways.
"This new expansion at Delta isn't just for the travelers to and from New York," Grimmet said. "We're very proud to be a part of the community and that means we're adding jobs."
Grimmet said the expansion will add 100 new construction jobs and 700 new jobs at LaGuardia.
Delta obtained the new flying rights in a deal with US Airways Group Inc.
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