Delta cuts fares at USA's most expensive airport

— -- Stung by travelers driving to nearby airports in search of cheaper air fares, Delta Air Lines is lowering ticket prices to destinations from its Cincinnati hub, long the most expensive airport in the nation.

Delta said the cuts will range from 5% to 60%, and will apply to all destinations from the Cincinnati/Northern International Airport. The cuts will affect 80% of the travelers flying to or from the airport in suburban Hebron, Ky.

The reductions, effective immediately, will apply to advance-purchase business and leisure fares, as well as to walk-up fares, Delta said, and will include cities in Florida, the Northeast and along the West Coast.

The cuts apply only to Delta's Cincinnati hub. They are meant to make Delta more competitive here and to encourage travelers to fly out of Cincinnati "rather than wasting time and money driving to neighboring airports," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president for network planning and revenue management, in a statement.

A sampling of the cuts, based on a 21-day advance purchase, ranges from 12% for a one-way trip to Hartford, Conn. (from $180 to $159) to 58% to Los Angeles ($310 one-way to $130).

To be eligible, travelers must buy a round-trip fare that requires a minimum stay of three nights or a Saturday night stay.

There will be other, unspecified changes to walk-up fares, which are often the kind purchased by business travelers flying at the last minute. Delta — which dominates the local market with a market share of more than 90% — has typically charged the highest prices for walk-ups.

High Delta fares out of Cincinnati have been a complaint from business and leisure passengers for years. The most recent government figures show that the average fare out of Cincinnati in the third quarter of 2008 was $597 for a round trip, 60% higher than the national average of $362.

Delta's last significant change to its fare structure was in 2004. In response to persistent complaints from the business community and others, Delta introduced its SimpliFares plan here in August 2004. That was also the last time the airport was not the nation's most expensive. SimpliFares was rolled out nationally in January 2005 and included lower fares, fewer fare types and a cap on fares, but it was abandoned later that year as Delta veered into bankruptcy.

The Atlanta-based airline said the changes are exclusive to its Cincinnati hub and are intended as more permanent price reductions as opposed to one-time sales.

The Cincinnati Enquirer is owned by Gannett, parent company of USA TODAY.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.