Delta eliminates 160 flights at airport

Direct flights to nine destinations were eliminated.
HEBRON, Ky. (AP) -- Delta Air Lines eliminated about 160 flights, or nearly 26 percent of its schedule, Thursday at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
The changes at Delta's second-largest hub were announced in September, shortly before the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Many passengers at the airport Thursday said that it was too soon to predict how much the reductions would affect their travel plans, but some were worried.
"I usually don't fly that often, but now my mother is ill," said Michelle Gibson, 44, of suburban Cincinnati, who was on her way to Philadelphia. "I'll probably be going back and forth more, and I am worried that the cuts may make it more difficult."
Direct flights to nine destinations and some early and late flights were eliminated.
Jordan Wilhelm, 21, and her mother Bev Wilhelm, 51, of Mason, Ohio, also were concerned.
"If it gets too hard to get flights here, I will probably go to Columbus and then drive the rest of the way," said Jordan Wilhelm, an Air Force Academy cadet flying back to Colorado after a family visit.
Her mother was worried that the cuts would mean more travel time for her daughter and less family time.
"I'm also worried that there may be even more cuts," said Bev Wilhelm.
Smooth operation
Delta said that its Cincinnati operations went smoothly Thursday.
"As we have said, customers will not see an impact to the service as a result of the schedule changes," said Delta spokeswoman Gina Laughlin.
She said the changes were designed to match service with passenger demand and make the Cincinnati hub more efficient.
Delta and its subsidiaries, including the Erlanger, Ky.,-based Comair, accounted for about 92 percent of the nearly 22 million passengers who went through the airport last year.