Memphis lands the flight it’s been wanting — Boston
Delta will be arriving at MEM with nonstops
Memphis got something it has wanted since it lost it in January 2014 — a direct flight to Boston.
Memphis International Airport announced Friday that the airport had secured a daily nonstop flight to Boston through Delta Airlines. The flight will launch Oct. 4.
The flight is something airport officials and members of the Memphis and Shelby County Airport Authority have been seeking for years. The flight was something Memphis’ big economic development addition — Indigo Ag — asked for when it chose to expand in Memphis during 2018. Its headquarters remains in Boston.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other health care components of Memphis’ corporate base will also likely use the flight given the amount of science, medical and biotechnology firms in New England and the Northeast.
“This will be one of MEM’S most well-received flight additions of the past few years,” Pace Cooper, chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the Memphis-shelby County Airport Authority, said in a statement. “We’re very excited that Delta is once again growing in Memphis to serve the needs of our community. I have no doubt that Memphians will warmly embrace this flight.”
Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland noted the work it took to get the flight.
“Any time we get to add more destinations to our airport, I’m happy, but this one in particular excites me,” Strickland said.
“We’ve been working on this flight for more than a year now, and to see it happen is a testament to what’s happening at our airport and our city as a whole.”
Boston has been called the airport’s top unserved city, with an average of 85 passengers traveling between Memphis and Boston daily, per the airport.
The flight will be on a 76-seat Embraer 175 aircraft.
With Boston now a nonstop destination, Memphis International Airport’s top unserved cities are concentrated out west. Cities such as San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle are among its targets for new nonstop flights.
Memphis International Airport’s number of passengers, flights and seats all grew in 2019, improving its case for new nonstop flights. Memphis-shelby County Airport Authority president and CEO Scott Brockman said in February that the airport is getting closer to landing some new destinations.
Flight details:
Memphis to Boston (starts Oct. 5) ❚ Departs: 7 a.m. (CST)
❚ Arrives: 11 a.m. (EST)
Boston to Memphis (starts Oct. 4) ❚ Departs: 6:30 p.m. (EST)
❚ Arrives: 9:05 p.m. (CST)