Salt Lake City International Airport officials aren't panicking just yet.
Still, they are a little nervous as their biggest carrier — Delta Air Lines — considers a plan today to restructure the company and save it from bankruptcy. That plan, some industry analysts say, should include dumping the company's smaller hubs like Salt Lake City.
Such a move would be devastating to the airport, where 72 percent of all outgoing passengers flew Delta or Delta connections last year.
"It would be painful for a while because the air service would change," Salt Lake Department of Airports spokeswoman Barbara Gann said. "But this is a good market" and other carriers would eventually start basing more flights out of Salt Lake City.
The public may get its first peek at parts of the plan today as Delta's board of directors considers it and may vote on some of the key points.
"This information has been held very tightly, but we have an inkling something's going to happen tomorrow (Wednesday)," Gann said. "We know there's going to be some kind of announcement tomorrow."
What that announcement will be is anybody's guess, and the board might wait to make big decisions until its next meeting. Still, analysts have guessed at what the airline might do and suggested what it should do.
Ray Neidl, industry analyst with Blaylock & Partners in New York City, believes with Delta on the verge of bankruptcy it can't afford to continue competing for a market share out in the West.
"My question for Delta is, 'When are you going to run the system to make money?' " he said.
"Hubs like DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) and Salt Lake City will never make money for Delta," he said. "If they are serious about making money, they have to move back to areas where they can make money."
Those areas are largely located in the Eastern states where Delta has a larger presence and bigger name recognition, Neidl said. Besides, he added, in Salt Lake City Delta competes against very powerful hubs in Denver for United and Frontier.
Part of Delta's plan to avoid bankruptcy, according to the Wall Street Journal, is to abandon some short routes and focus on long-haul routes with greater revenues.
In the past, Delta has noted its increased regional jet service in Salt Lake City as a sign it won't drop Utah's capital as a hub. Also, Delta has cited the need to have a market presence in the Western states. Company spokesman Anthony Black could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com