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As part of a slot swap with Delta at capacity-controlled airports in Washington and New York, US Airways intends to drop US Airways Express service to 26 destinations out of LaGuardia Airport – including every small and non-hub market except one: Wilmington.

But almost all of those markets are served by a mix of regional jets and mainline US Airways flights.

Of the markets to be retained, only Wilmington is served exclusively by regional jets.
The carrier intends to keep nonstop service to the Port City, along with service to the much bigger cities of Washington, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Boston and Pittsburgh.

Cities losing US Airways Express service include Raleigh-Durham; Greensboro; Norfolk, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; and Savannah, Ga.

Wilmington Airport Director Jon Rosborough credited the community’s support of its local airport, even during these tough economic times, for convincing US Airways to keep the Port City route.

“They’ve always told us that when they put new service into Wilmington, they always do well filling the seats,” he said.

Rosborough added that the load factors, or number of departing plane seats that are filled, average 90 percent to LaGuardia and 94 percent to Philadelphia.

At Washington-National, where US Airways is receiving enough slots from Delta to add 42 roundtrip flights, the carrier has said it will add nonstop service to 15 cities.

Among them is Myrtle Beach, but not Wilmington.

Washington is the third most popular destination for Wilmington passengers, while New York is at the top of the list, and Rosborough said the airport would continue pushing for US Airways to restore its link to the nation’s capital.

Earlier this decade both US Airways Express and United Express flew from the Port City to Washington.

The slot switch between US Airways and Delta is expected to win regulatory approval and be finished sometime next year.