Monroe, La., airport retains flights to Atlanta, Memphis after Delta merger

— -- Louisiana's Monroe Regional Airport will retain service to both the Atlanta and Memphis hubs despite the recent merger of Delta and Northwest airlines, Monroe's airport manager said.

Cleve Norrell said that he met with officials from Delta, which acquired Northwest last fall, who told him the new airline would continue to connect Monroe with Delta's Atlanta hub and the former Northwest hub in Memphis.

"There isn't a service cutback planned at this time, and they gave us no reason to believe there would be one in the future," Norrell said.

That matches what Delta spokesman Kent Landers told The News-Star in an earlier interview about the merger and its impact in Monroe.

"There is virtually no overlap in routes between Delta and Northwest, so we have said that we intend to maintain all of the airlines' hubs," Landers said before the merger was complete.

That comes as a relief to Norrell, since Delta's top executive said earlier this month the airline will reduce domestic capacity by 8% to 10% in 2009.

"Once again, Delta must take the necessary steps to adjust our business accordingly and make certain seat capacity meets customer demand," chief executive Richard Anderson said in a memo to employees. "These economic hurdles are difficult, and we remain committed to building our company on a durable financial foundation with industry-leading liquidity. Remember that speed wins, so we will be decisive and not delay."

Norrell did say that he expects Delta to consolidate what are now separate Delta and Northwest stations into one at Monroe Regional.

"That really only makes sense, but the most important thing for us is that our service to both hubs will remain intact," Norrell said.

Monroe Regional also has connections to American's Dallas hub and Continental's Houston hub.

"It's phenomenal for an airport our size to have connections to four hubs," Norrell said. "There are many cities our size or larger that reach only one or two major hubs."

Norrell also said that initial construction on a new $37 million terminal should begin sometime next year. Monroe voters passed a new 1-mill property tax last fall to help fund the construction.

"A new terminal is definitely within our grasp," he said.

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