Delta Airlines to service to Marathon from ATL

[mike_s]

For those of us going to the keys that hate flying into Miami, looks like we've got a better choice now. Delta is going to start flying into Marathon from Atlanta 1-2 times per day.

Flights depart daily from Atlanta at 10:40 a.m. Return trips are slated to leave each day at 1 p.m. On Fridays, Delta has a second flight that leaves Atlanta at 7:30 p.m. The aircraft remains overnight and departs Marathon at 9 a.m.




Marathon airport gets commercial service after 6-year hiatus

By: Associated Press -

MARATHON, Fla. ---- Commercial air service has returned to the middle Florida Keys after a six-year hiatus, promising to bring a financial boost while giving tourists more direct access to the island chain.

The return to service took place Feb. 15 with the landing of a 40-seat Delta Airlines regional jet. The fully booked flight was greeted by about 200 people, including someone dressed as a 6-foot-high conch shell. Two firetrucks parked on the 5,000-foot runway sprayed arching streams of water over the plane.

"It's phenomenal," said Grier Wakefield, who arrived with his wife and two children from Wilmington, Del.


Marathon is a city of 11,000 people about an hour's drive from both the fishing and diving destination of Key Largo and historic Key West.

For the past six years, tourists have had the inconvenient option of flying into Miami and driving up to three hours or more to reach their Keys destination by using U.S. Highway 1. They also fly into Key West's busy airport, which has 60 flights per day, and drive to Marathon.

The restored service means a more direct path for tourists who have the Keys and the waters surrounding them on their agenda. Tourism generates $2.2 billion a year in the Florida Keys.

"I'm so happy this flight is open because it will save us so much time," said passenger Katie Maginn of Atlanta. "I have an amazing time whenever I'm down here and I now can start my vacation earlier."

The Marathon airport remained open for charter and corporate flights, air taxis and private lessons after commercial service ended in April 2000. At that time, the airport was suffering from decreasing capacity stemming from sluggish summer traffic.

The rebirth of commercial service did not come easy. U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Keys officials fought hard for an agreement from the Transportation Safety Administration to offer baggage screeners.

The agency at first said it did not have enough resources to provide federal baggage screeners. That caused Delta to push back its start date from October 2006.

Ros-Lehtinen and Rep. John Mica, then a member of the House aviation subcommittee, lobbied the TSA to enter into a partnership program in which private contractors can eventually take over the duties of federal screeners.

Also secured was a $750,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for the airport, and more than $300,000 was locally raised to provide profit guarantees for the first year. The Monroe County Tourist Development Council has pledged $600,000 over three years for advertising, Marathon Mayor Chris Bull said.

Tourists likely will make up the bulk of Delta's passengers, with Keys residents also taking advantage of the flight to Delta's busy Atlanta hub. Flights aren't cheap, ranging from about $600 to more than $1,000 per ticket.

[Tom Winters]

$600 to $1000 per ticket? Private charters for four start becoming an option with those fares.

[mike_s]

$600 to $1000 per ticket? Private charters for four start becoming an option with those fares.

I just checked a weekend in mid May for a Wednesday arrival and Sunday return. Depending who which flight I leave on, it looks like $560 to $660 per ticket to Marathon.


Now... lets compare that to Miami. Looks like about $249 to $270 per ticket for the same dates. Fort Lauderdale is about $10 to $20 cheaper for the lowest ticket.


I'm betting they close this operation before next summer...