This article from NYTimes.com has been sent to you by psa188@xxxxxxxxx /-------------------- advertisement -----------------------\ Explore more of Starbucks at Starbucks.com. http://www.starbucks.com/default.asp?ci=1015 \----------------------------------------------------------/ Service Is Down at Smaller Airports April 15, 2003 By JOE SHARKEY Business travelers who depend on airports in small and even midsize cities know that getting there has become a lot tougher, as most big airlines slash nonhub routes, which bring in less cash. How much tougher? "Between March 1998 and March 2003, nonhub airports nationwide lost 19 percent of their commercial air service as measured by available seat miles," said Kenneth M. Mead, the Transportation Department inspector general, told a Senate committee. Among regions, the Northeast and Midwest were the hardest hit, losing 33 and 31 percent of service, respectively, in nonhub markets, he said. Smaller hub airports are especially vulnerable, Brian D. Harris, the Smith Barney airline analyst, told investors in a conference call yesterday. "Given the high fixed cost associated with a hub, a drop-off in traffic can quickly send a smaller hub into a death spiral," he said. Delta's New Airline Begins Flying Today Delta's low-cost airline, Song, is scheduled to begin operations today on a route between Kennedy International Airport in New York and Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. Through the spring and summer, Song will roll out additional service at all three New York airports; Atlanta; Hartford; Boston; Las Vegas; and, in Florida, at Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and Fort Myers. Will Song attract business travelers? It probably will, judging from current fares. Song is mainly intended to compete with discount carriers on leisure trips. But on the airline's Web site (www.flysong .com) yesterday, the round-trip walk-up fare from Kennedy to Palm Beach was $445. That compared favorably with other carriers' walk-up fares - same day, same departure and destination - as listed on Orbitz. The lowest was $429 on Song's parent Delta (with a connection). Other comparable fares ranged wildly from United's $816 with two plane changes, to American's $1,363 (with one change). For business travelers able to plan trips in advance, Song has a round-trip fare as low as $198 between Kennedy and Palm Beach. Fortified Doors Now on All Planes All commercial airliners operating in the United States are now in compliance with a federal law to install fortified doors to cockpits as a way to prevent hijackers from easily seizing control of the plane, the Federal Aviation Administration said. About 10,000 aircraft - 5,800 flown by domestic airlines and the rest flown to the United States by foreign carriers - were included under the law, which gave airlines a deadline of last Wednesday for the door changes. Airlines evidently met the requirement in a last-minute push. As of late January, federal security officials had said earlier, fewer than half of the aircraft were in compliance. JOE SHARKEY http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/15/business/15MEMO.html?ex=1051413092&ei=1&en=1432c533dba8077c HOW TO ADVERTISE --------------------------------- For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters or other creative advertising opportunities with The New York Times on the Web, please contact onlinesales@xxxxxxxxxxx or visit our online media kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo For general information about NYTimes.com, write to help@xxxxxxxxxxxx Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company