There’s changes coming for people who fly out of the Delta County Airport to Detroit and Minneapolis.
Starting in September, you won’t be able to fly directly to either city anymore. Instead, you’ll have to stop first in Pellston (with a 30-minute layover on Detroit flights) and that means more competition for the seats on those planes.
This decision is being made by Skyway Airlines, which operates under the name “Delta” and is subsidized by the federal government.
One big change is the elimination of the early morning flight to Detroit. Instead, it won’t leave until 4:30 in the afternoon. The flight to Minneapolis now won’t leave until 11:53 a.m.
Beginning on Septmeber 12, 2022, the schedule will operate as follows:
Detroit to Escanaba: departs DTW @ 8:50am (1/2hr stop in Pellston) arrives at ESC @ 11:23
Escanaba to Minneapolis: departs ESC @ 11:53am arrives at MSP @ 12:10pm
Minneapolis to Escanaba: departs MSP @ 1:45pm arrives at ESC @ 3:58pm
Escanaba to Detroit: departs ESC @ 4:31pm (1/2 hr stop in Pellston) arrives at DTW @ 6:56pm
Flights between Escanaba and Minneapolis will also be shared with the Pellston Airport, meaning Delta County will be the middle stop along both routes.
This means flights are likely to fill up faster due to multiple communities sharing the flights.
The Delta County Airport is an Essential Air Service “EAS” airport.
EAS is a contract between the Department of Transportation “DOT” to subsidize airlines to provide air service to rural communities like ours.
Skywest has been our EAS air carrier for many years now and provided us with safe, reliable service.
In the recent days, the Delta County Airport was informed by Skywest of changes to our non-stop service. Instead of a direct flight from Escanaba to Detroit, there will now be a shared flight with Pellston Regional Airport starting in September.
These changes are not unique to the Delta County Airport, as Skywest has been enacting similar changes to local airports throughout the Upper Peninsula, Northern Lower Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin.
The Delta County Airport recognizes that these changes may present difficult operational challenges, and affect the service provided to our community. Please know the Delta County Airport’s top priorities are ensuring convenience, reliability, and the safety of our passengers.
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