Study: 8 airports in danger of losing service

A list of 150 airports that Business Travel Coalition recently identified as at risk for losing flights includes Baton Rouge Metro, Alexandria International, Lafayette Regional, Lake Charles Regional, Monroe Regional and Shreveport Regional.

In Mississippi, Jackson-Evers International and Gulfport-Biloxi International were at risk, BTC said.

BTC said airports served by regional jets and feeder carriers that fly passengers from smaller locations to major hubs were among the most likely to lose service.

In the face of current fuel prices, regional jets have become the least profitable flights for airlines and feeder carriers to operate, the study said. Several feeder carriers are renegotiating contracts, facing spinoffs by their mainline carriers or face being dropped completely.

"Given current economic conditions, those cities served by these carriers may be more likely impacted," the study said.

Airports served by both Northwest Airlines Corp. and Delta Air Lines Inc., which have agreed to join, also are more likely to lose service if the deal goes through, the study said.

However, Delta, in a statement, said the deal "will create a more durable airline with a greater likelihood of maintaining service to small communities than either standalone."

At Jackson-Evers, which handles about 40 flights a day, spokeswoman Bonnie Wilson questioned BTC's rating.

"We aren't 100 percent sure where that came from," Wilson said. "In our conversations with our carriers we get a little different picture."