Delta to cut service at DFW Airport

DALLAS - Delta Air Lines will announce reduced flights on unprofitable routes to and from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and in some cases switch to smaller jets, according to an industry consultant familiar with the plans.

The moves will reduce the size of Delta's hub at DFW by spring, The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.

Delta, the nation's No. 3 carrier, may cut nonstop service to some cities from DFW and will substitute small regional jets for many of the large planes it uses now, said the consultant, who did not want to be identified.

A Delta spokesman declined to comment on specific plans but said the Atlanta-based carrier will continue to adjust operations to make them profitable. Delta, like most major U.S. carriers, has lost money over the past two years.

Delta serves 67 cities from DFW, averaging 234 daily departures, including 148 using smaller regional jets. Delta employs 4,820 people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Any Delta downsizing at DFW would probably benefit Fort Worth-based American Airlines, the world's largest airline and the dominant carrier at the North Texas airport.