Atlanta, GA
Delta To American: Back Off, Atlanta Will Bump Dallas As World’s Top Hub
Delta planes occupy gates at Atlanta in June. (Photo by Andrew Harnik)
Delta Air Lines says its Atlanta hub will reclaim the status it lost to American’s Dallas hub in the disarranged world of post-pandemic flying.
“With nearly 75 additional daily departures compared to summer 2024, this growth reaffirms its place as the world’s largest airline hub,” the carrier said Friday in a press release entitled “Delta at ATL: Bigger and bolder at the world’s largest airline hub in summer 2025.”
The Atlanta hub summer schedule will include 968 daily departures, service to 215 destinations and 1.1 million weekly seats, Delta said.
Before the pandemic, Delta routinely operated around 1,000 daily departures from Atlanta, which was easily the world’s largest single airline hub.
But that equation was upended as American pursued a strategy of Sunbelt growth, restoring flying early in the summer of 2020 and consistently pouring capacity into Charlotte and Dallas.
By this summer, American operated the world’s largest single airline hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, where it has 925 daily departures. At Atlanta this summer, Delta operates 830 daily departures. The third largest single airline hub is Charlotte, where American has 690 daily departures.
Part of American’s strategy has been to surround Atlanta with Charlotte to the east and Dallas to the west.
Delta has apparently had enough of American’s challenge to Atlanta and Sunbelt flex. American did not respond to emails questioning its summer 2025 DFW schedule.
“For Delta, Atlanta is more than a hub—it’s home,” Delta said. “That’s why in summer 2025, Delta will introduce its largest-ever schedule from Atlanta, offering customers even more destinations, increased frequencies and enhanced premium experiences that highlight the airline’s commitment to supporting the city’s growth.
Delta said its international footprint from Atlanta also continues to grow, with 66 international destinations.
Transatlantic destinations with new or increased service include Athens, Barcelona, Brussels; Catania, Sicily; Dublin, Milan Naples, Rome and Zurich. Delta plans its largest-ever transatlantic summer schedule.
Domestically from Atlanta, Delta plans its largest-ever schedule in Georgia with 20% more intra-state seats to Savannah, Augusta, Albany, Brunswick, Columbus and Valdosta, “reinforcing Delta’s commitment to improving regional connectivity across the Peach State,” the carrier said.
The airline industry’s move to premium seating, which has been led by Delta, is also reflected in the carrier’s 2025 plans for Atlanta. The Atlanta hub will offer 41,000 daily premium seats—including Delta One, First Class, Delta Premium Select and Delta Comfort. Premium capacity will increase by 9% over summer 2024.
Also, Delta said 87% of ATL departures will be operated on mainline aircraft—an increase from 79% in 2019.
At all three of the key Sunbelt airports, the size of the mainline aircraft is generally larger than pre-pandemic, as the Airbus A321 and newer Boeing 737s have replaced smaller models, so passenger count has generally increased. Also, the Charlotte and Dallas hubs have higher percentages of regional jets than Atlanta does.
Atlanta remains the world’s largest airport by passengers, with 102 million in 2023, compared to 78 million at Dallas. Delta carried about 70% of all Atlanta passengers in 2023. Delta said it has “contributed significantly” to the airport’s $10.8 billion redevelopment program, which during the past decade has included expanding Concourse D.
“Atlanta travelers also enjoy Delta’s highly convenient schedules,” Delta said. “With 56 markets featuring eight or more daily flights, Delta offers the frequency that both business travelers and families need for easy planning.”
A recent report by OAG ranks airports by combining two components: the number of available connections and the number of destinations. According to the report, Atlanta is the 11th most connected hub in the world. Also, Atlanta is the second most connected domestic hub in the U.S., behind Chicago (which has hubs for both American and United), but ahead of number three Dallas and number four Charlotte.
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — After Atlanta hit 96 degrees with a heat index of 102 over the Fourth of July weekend, a City Council member is pushing legislation to formalize how the city responds when extreme heat threatens public health.
Atlanta typically opens cooling centers as temperatures climb, but Councilmember Kelsea Bond said the city lacks a consistent, codified process to ensure the same steps are taken each time extreme heat arrives.
“There’s not something that is cohesive in our code that says this is going to happen this way every single time,” said Michael Julian Bond, Post 1 at-large.
Bond’s proposed resolution would create a citywide heat safety plan. It calls for more cooling centers, expanded outreach to vulnerable residents and using a health-based measure such as HeatRisk to determine what resources are needed based on conditions.
“The many individuals that don’t have working A/C or don’t have adequate air conditioning — we want to make sure they are able to get relief,” Bond said.
Multiple council members have signed on in support, arguing the city needs to prepare for more frequent and intense heat as the climate warms.
“The weather’s not going to get any cooler with global warming, and so we want to be prepared,” Bond said.
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HART COUNTY, Ga. – An Atlanta woman wanted for kidnapping in Maryland was arrested along Interstate 85 in northeast Georgia.
What we know:
Alicia Denise Brown, 37, of Atlanta, was taken into custody during a traffic stop. According to the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, deputies received an alert about the car traveling north on the interstate. Deputies pulled over the vehicle near Exit 177 along with Georgia State Patrol troopers.
A woman and two young children were taken into custody. No one was injured.
The backstory:
Brown is wanted on outstanding kidnapping-related warrants out of Maryland and by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office on felony charges of interference with child custody.
The Baltimore County Police Department wanted Brown on charges stemming from the disappearance of a 10-year-old child who was reported missing in 2019. Maryland officials say they would extradite her back to face charges.
What they’re saying:
“We are thankful for the quick response and teamwork of our deputies, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgia State Patrol, and all assisting agencies. Their coordinated efforts resulted in the safe recovery of both children and the successful apprehension of the suspect,” Sheriff Chris Carroll said.
What we don’t know:
It is also unclear how the vehicle was initially spotted or what specific vehicle description triggered the law enforcement alert.
The full details of the charges were not immediately available.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Hart County Sheriff’s Office, who explained how we got it through an official statement from Sheriff Chris Carroll, as well as details provided by the Baltimore County Police Department and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
TOOMBS COUNTY, Ga. – A 36-year-old Atlanta man was killed in a Fourth of July shooting in southeast Georgia, and the investigation has been turned over to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
What we know:
According to the GBI, Vidalia police officers responded around 3:13 a.m. Saturday to a report of shots fired in the 500 block of East Jenkins Street in Vidalia. When officers arrived, they found Rashad Lamar Lumpkin, of Atlanta, lying in the roadway with multiple gunshot wounds.
Lumpkin was taken by EMS to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Vidalia Police Department requested the GBI investigate the shooting. Authorities said the investigation remains active and ongoing.
What you can do:
Anyone with information is asked to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Eastman at 478-374-6988 or the Vidalia Police Department at 912-537-4123. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online through the GBI’s tip portal or by using the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Middle Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
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