Travelers who regularly use Sourh Bend International Airport are scratching their heads at a decision by Delta Airlines. Delta says it will drop all flights between Sourh Bend and Detroit as of November 9.
That means that thousands of South Bend passengers will be looking for other arrangements, after routinely flying through Delia’s Detroit hub for years –perhaps decades
Particularly for business travelers flying any where in the Northeast, a connection through Detroit on Delta was the obvious choice. Now, they will be faced with the decision to fly Delta through connection hubs in Atlanta or Minneapolis. Or to jump to American Airlines via Dallas or Charlotte, or United’s hub at Chicago O`Hare. None seem to make a lot of sense to time conscious flyers traveling to New York, Boston or Washington DC, for example.
It’s somewhat of a puzzler why Delta is making the move. Regular flyers say the Delta Detroit flights were well used, frequently full. Speculation is that Delta may be phasing out a particular type of aircraft and that larger planes wouldn’t fit into the airline’s plans for Sourh Bend. Delta hasn’t explained so far. And the only comment from the Airport has been cautious:
“The aviation industry has undergone many changes since the pandemic. While no airport wants to receive news of a service reduction, we are not surprised by Delta’s decision to pull back the Detroit route effective November 9. Passengers can still travel with Delta through their hubs in Atlanta and Minneapolis, both which continue to operate daily at SBN. Service on Allegiant, American, and United remain unchanged.”
-Mike Daigle, CEO and Executive Director, South Bend International Airport
Logically, other airlines serving Sourh Bend may add flights to other hubs. However it’s unlikely anyone will fill the Detroit gap. So Michiana travelers can likely look forward to being gone a little longer and covering more miles, especially when heading East.
