The Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport announced Friday that Delta Air Lines will restart daily nonstop service from Chattanooga to LaGuardia International Airport starting Oct. 7.
“New York has been the most sought-after market that our business community has requested every year,” said April Cameron, Chattanooga Airport president and CEO. “Delta has always been a tremendous partner, and we are deeply grateful for their continued confidence in our city and region. The schedules will be very accommodating for business travelers who need to fly out and return the same day.”
The daily flight will be operated on a CRJ-900, a 76-seat aircraft with 12 first-class seats, 20 Delta Comfort+ seats and 44 seats in the main cabin.
Service to LaGuardia is an early morning departure and an evening arrival. Tickets go on sale this weekend.
Mayor Tim Kelly stated that resuming air service to LaGuardia has been a high priority for his administration since coming into office, because of its key impact on economic development and the access to all the culture and tourism New York City has to offer. “I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to Delta, and thank April Cameron and her team at CMAA, as well as her board, for all the progress we are making at Lovell Field."
The Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority operates independently of city government but is governed by a board appointed by the mayor of Chattanooga and confirmed by the city council. Ms. Cameron was chosen by a board made up of majority Mayor Kelly appointees, and the Airport Authority has worked closely with the mayor’s office and community partners to recruit new air service.
In December 2023, Mayor Kelly traveled to Atlanta with Ms. Cameron and officials from the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce to meet with Delta Air Lines officials and discuss possible new flights at CHA, including the CHA-LGA direct flight.
"Providing local institutions and entrepreneurs with same day return direct flights to New York will certainly be a game-changer for companies and institutions with limited travel budgets,” said City of Chattanooga Economic and Workforce Development Senior Advisor Charita Allen. “For entrepreneurs and creatives, the likely increase in investments, knowledge transfer, and collaborations will be fun to watch.”
CMAA Board Chairman Jim Hall added, “On behalf of the Board of Directors, we deeply appreciate Delta’s ongoing commitment to Chattanooga. We also want to sincerely thank all our passengers that fly out of Chattanooga because we believe their commitment to choose to fly from Chattanooga helped to influence Delta’s decision to provide this new service.”