More travelers have been flying from the Lincoln Airport in recent months, and soon they’ll be able to conveniently reach more domestic and international destinations. Delta Air Lines will begin daily flights from Lincoln to Atlanta on September 3. Business travelers will be able to go to Atlanta for meetings in the morning and return to Lincoln that evening. John Wood, executive director of the Lincoln Airport, says more convenient connections will also be a boost for business.
“Atlanta is the world’s largest hub, so a direct flight from Lincoln will improve options for business people who are traveling to the Deep South, East Coast or international destinations,” said Wood. “Leisure travelers will also benefit from direct connections to more than 200 cities worldwide.”
Another perk for some travelers is the availability of first class accommodations on the flight. The Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft offers 12 first class seats, 12 economy comfort seats and 52 coach seats.
A $750,000 federal grant provides a revenue guarantee to Delta Air Lines if the Atlanta flight isn’t profitable. But Wood hopes they won’t need to use those funds. He’s confident that Lincoln-area travelers will use the Atlanta service. Wood says, with a departure from Lincoln at 7 a.m. and return to Lincoln by 9 p.m., the schedule sets the flight up for success.
“We know more people are using the Lincoln Airport because it’s convenient and competitive on travel costs,” said Wood. “If travelers support the new service to Atlanta, it increases the possibility for additional air service in Lincoln.”
Passenger traffic at the Lincoln Airport this year is up 2 percent through May, despite lower numbers in January due to weather-related cancellations. In 2013 nearly 284,000 travelers used the airport, an increase of 5 percent over 2012. Wood said load factors, which measure how full a plane is, exceeded 80 percent.
“More people are discovering that it pays to check LNK when they’re planning air travel,” said Wood. “Ticket prices from Lincoln are frequently close to, and occasionally less than, the cost to fly from Omaha. The added convenience of using the Lincoln Airport often outweighs any difference in ticket price.”
To compare the costs of flying from Lincoln and Omaha, visit LincolnAirport.com and click on the LNK vs. OMA Challenge. While on the website, travelers who want to check out the flight to Atlanta can enter to win two free tickets.