Delta plans expansion at congested New York hub

NEW YORK, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc (DAL.N) said on Wednesday that it plans to increase capacity at New York's delay-prone John F. Kennedy International Airport by 20 percent next summer.

Delta, which along with low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways Corp (JBLU.O) and AMR Corp's AMR.N American Airlines dominates service at JFK, said it plans to add 14 new international routes at the airport by next summer.

But in order to ease congestion, the No. 3 U.S. carrier plans to schedule flights earlier and later and reduce the number of small airplanes serving the hub.

"In order to accommodate this expansion, we have essentially depeaked our operation," said Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson during a briefing with journalists.

The expansion and scheduling changes mean that Delta will have 6 percent fewer peak arrivals and departures next summer and no turboprop aircraft serving the airport, the carrier said.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has taken the first step toward possibly limiting flights at JFK by requesting spring and summer scheduling information from major carriers.

The problems at JFK, which has one of the worst records for on-time performance, came into focus over the summer amid record delays by U.S. airlines.

Delta is hoping its moves to reduce congestion help avoid growth-choking restrictions at the airport, but said other airlines will also have to make changes.

"This has to be a cooperative effort," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president in charge of network planning. "This is one of the pieces of the puzzle."

Hauenstein said the FAA's initial response to Delta's plan was "quite positive."

JFK, where Delta operates out of aging terminals, is a key part of Delta's strategy to shift planes to lucrative international markets and away from hard-fought domestic routes.

The airport serves the New York metropolitan area, along with Newark Liberty International Airport, and LaGuardia International Airport.

Delta CEO Anderson said the company was prepared to make an "appropriate investment" to upgrade its terminals at the airport.

The new routes include out-of-the-way destinations such as Lagos, Nigeria; Amman, Jordan; Dakar, Senegal; Panama City, Panama; Guatemala City, Guatemala; and Liberia, Costa Rica.

Delta said its strategy of picking under-served international destinations has paid off; every international route launched last year has been profitable.

"This is profitable and sustainable flying," said CEO Anderson.