Delta Eliminates Burbank Flights

In a cost-cutting move, Delta Air Lines on Monday said that it would eliminate service out of Burbank Airport and offer 20 permanent employees jobs at other locations. Delta, which operated only two flights a day to Salt Lake City out of Burbank, will stop service April 4. Delta’s 14 commuter flights to Fresno, Palm Springs and San Diego are operated by a separate carrier--Skywest--and will continue. Delta operations at other Southern California airports will not be affected.

The airline, which is reducing costs in the face of huge losses, said insufficient demand and the sluggish economy led to the pullout at Burbank. While its flight schedule was meager, the airline had to field two shifts of workers to serve the morning and evening flights, said Vince Durocher, Delta’s district director of marketing.

Although Delta remains the second-largest carrier at Los Angeles International Airport, the airline has been cutting back service within California. Earlier this year, Delta eliminated its hourly shuttle between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Burbank Airport will still be served by several other major carriers, including Southwest Airlines, which is the biggest airline within the state.