American spokesman Matt Miller declined comment, citing a company policy of not discussing its revenue guarantees.
Columbia's air-service links to the southeastern United States aren't completely severed. In November, Frontier Airlines will begin offering twice-weekly flights to Orlando, Fla., on 138-seat jets.
Mike Boyd, a Colorado-based aviation consultant who previously worked with Columbia but wasn't a part of the Delta and American negotiations, said the city still came out ahead despite Delta's departure.
"It's the only airport I know where airlines are falling over themselves to get there," said Boyd, adding that United Airlines was also interested in a Chicago connection. "I think other cities would kill to get into this situation.
"If American comes to you and says, 'I want to fly to your community,' the city can't say, 'We don't want you," he continued. "You have to take what you get, and accept the consequences."
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Alan Scher Zagier can be reached at http://twitter.com/azagier .
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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