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Delta Air Lines is pulling the plug on a short regional route that will have outsized consequences for the local community.
The Atlanta-based carrier filed plans over the weekend to end service between Detroit and Binghamton, New York, effective Feb. 14. The change was first spotted in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a Delta spokesperson.
The 378-mile route has operated consistently for nearly 15 years.
Delta cuts Binghamton, New York
At its peak, Delta flew the route up to three times daily. That schedule was reduced to once-daily service during the pandemic and never recovered.
In 2023, Delta attempted to bolster Binghamton connectivity by adding flights from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, but that service was short-lived and ended in early January 2024. (Some aviation watchers viewed the LaGuardia route as a form of slot-squatting rather than a long-term commitment.)
When Delta exits Binghamton next month, the airport will be left without any scheduled commercial air service.
Delta is the latest (and now final) network carrier to serve the upstate New York airport. American Airlines ended its Philadelphia-to-Binghamton service in February 2017, while United Airlines last flew there from Newark in November 2016, according to Cirium data.
More recently, low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines flew between Orlando and Binghamton from November 2022 until August 2024. The route was eventually cut due to poor demand. In 2023, Avelo averaged just 43 passengers per day on the route, despite operating 189-seat Boeing 737 aircraft, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.
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In a statement confirming the move, Delta said that it “will discontinue service at Binghamton (BGM) following the final scheduled flight on February 14, 2026, as we adjust our network to best align with customer demand. Customers with existing bookings will be reaccommodated, and Delta will continue to serve the region through nearby airports, including Syracuse (SYR), Elmira (ELM), and Ithaca (ITH), which together offer a broad range of destinations and increased connectivity across Delta’s network.”
Binghamton loses commercial flights
The loss of commercial service is a major blow for travelers in and around Binghamton, including students at Binghamton University.
Going forward, flyers will need to rely on nearby regional airports such as Syracuse, Ithaca, or Scranton, or make the longer drive to Newark for a bigger range of nonstop options.
Small regional airports have borne the brunt of airline network cuts over the past several years. During and after the pandemic, major U.S. airlines pulled out of dozens of small airports, including Kearney, Nebraska; Lansing, Michigan; and Springfield, Illinois. United scaled back its regional flying the most, pulling out of a whopping 39 U.S. cities since the pandemic started.
Most of the affected routes haven’t resumed since the pandemic, as airlines focus on larger cities with stronger demand to fill bigger planes.
But even with these regional pullbacks, very few airports have entirely lost commercial service.
That’s a much bigger deal, and probably one that local officials will want to address promptly. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Binghamton courting American, United, or even another low-cost operator to restore some commercial service.
Time will tell if they’re successful.
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Not a huge deal. Ithaca and Elmira-Corning airports are each an hour away with Delta and United service to JFK, Dulles and Detroit as well warm-weather locations on Allegiant.
I used to live that part of central NY. People in that area drive long distance to get anything done. It’s terrible for those who are highly dependent on the airport for their livelihood (since it would be a hard sell for any new airline to fly in/out of this airport). However, the whole region is continually shrinking, both demographically and economically. The good new is that there are a few (though not very big) airports that are 1-2 hours drive from Binghamton, including Albany Airport, which the writer of this piece did not mention.
When we live in this region, we routinely drove to major airport, including JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, and even Philadelphia when connecting flights out of Binghamton/Albany/Syracuse were too convoluted and/or too expensive.
This is just a reality of living in an economically depressed rural community.