Delta announced that it would be cutting its flight to Detroit from Central Wisconsin Airport, but the airport will gain capacity heading to Minneapolis thanks to larger planes.
The cuts come from pilot shortages, says CWA Manager Brian Grefe. The companies that supply pilots to airlines are moving their pilots from regional airports to cover openings in their major airports, leaving those smaller airports with fewer pilots.
Though Delta is cutting the Detroit service, in January the flying service will be upgrading its two planes that fly to Minneapolis with larger planes. Both Detroit and Minneapolis are international hubs so Central Wisconsin Airport will actually gain a little capacity, Grefe says.
Grefe says he’s still hopeful that Delta will eventually restore the Detroit service. Though technically the larger planes increase capacity at the airport by two when Delta swaps out the planes on Jan. 9, it means all international travelers route through Minneapolis, cutting down on potential travel options.
“I anticipate a conversation about bringing it back,” Grefe says of the route.
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