Delta Air Lines said Monday it will require domestic customers flying out of New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to check their baggage a minimum of 45 minutes prior to departure, effective Oct. 15.
The airline previously required customers to check bags at least 30 minutes prior to departure for domestic flights. The change matches Delta's policy at other large airports in cities such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Orlando and Denver.
Customers traveling internationally are still required to check their bags 60 minutes prior to scheduled departure, Delta said.
The change follows Delta's announcement last week of a new schedule for summer 2008 that will add 14 international routes originating from JFK. The airline also said it will reduce delays and air traffic at JFK by decreasing the number of flights operating during peak hours and raising the number of flights using larger planes.
The new schedule is expected to offer 204 daily departures to 93 destinations from JFK by June 2008, a more than 20 percent increase in available seat miles with only 11 more daily departures.