air service Blue Grass Airport began its first commercial flights 65 years ago with Delta Air Lines and Eastern Airlines . During its first full year of service in 1947, Delta had enplaned 5,708 passengers from Blue Grass Airport. By comparison, Delta enplaned 282,268 passengers in 2010. Today, the air carrier serves more than 40 percent of Blue Grass Airport’s passengers. Delta and Blue Grass Airport proudly celebrated this partnership of 65 years in October 2011 with festivities for passengers. For leisure travelers, Allegiant made several exciting announcements in September 2011 regarding new flights. In addition to Orlando, St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Punta Gorda (Southwest Florida) service, Allegiant announced non-stop flights to Ft. Lauderdale and Las Vegas.
The Jet Age Piedmont’s first passenger flight left Lexington on February 20, 1948 on a DC-3 bound for Cincinnati (pictured right). In 1965, Piedmont flew the first passenger jet flight into Blue Grass Field.
This twice-weekly service brings Allegiant to five destinations from Blue Grass Airport, demonstrating a strong commitment to the central Kentucky community. The airline industry continues to experience changes as air carriers seek ways to refine their business models. AirTran Airways, which offers daily non-stop service to Orlando from Lexington, was recently acquired by Southwest Airlines. United and Continental continue the process of merging their operations, and although American Airlines has sought bankruptcy reorganization, its business continues to operate as usual with a strong presence in Lexington through its non-stop flights to Dallas and Chicago.