By Kevin Aldridge
The Cincinnati Enquirer

DOWNTOWN - Cincinnati City Council has asked its attorney to explore the possibility of joining a $1 billion class-action lawsuit against Delta Air Lines because of the high fares at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport.

Vice Mayor Alicia Reece, who pushed the request Wednesday, said council should act on behalf of Cincinnatians who use the hub, especially considering that the city gave Delta $3.9 million in tax incentives four years ago to create jobs and maintain offices downtown.

"Since that partnership, we have found that we have one of the highest (priced) hubs in the country," said Reece, who acknowledged that Delta's fares were high even before their agreement. "It's unfortunate that our citizens, our consumers, have to go to Indianapolis, Louisville, Dayton and Columbus just to save $200-$300 in airfare."

May 4, a federal judge in Michigan widened the class-action suit to include passengers who used Delta's Cincinnati and Atlanta hubs since June 1995, along with US Airways customers using Pittsburgh or Charlotte.

To be eligible, passengers must have purchased a full-fare, nonrestricted ticket. The original suit was brought against Northwest Airlines in Detroit in 1996, and was allowed to be a class action in 2002. It claims that airlines such as Northwest and Delta are violating antitrust laws by not allowing travelers to save money by using only part of a multistop ticket.

For example, a Cincinnati-bound passenger might buy a ticket from Dallas to Dayton and disembark in Cincinnati on the stopover - because it can be hundreds of dollars cheaper than a direct flight from Dallas to Cincinnati.

Airlines stopped allowing the practice in the early 1980s by withholding frequent flier miles, charging passengers more after the flight to make up the difference, or both.

Those flying from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport paid the second-highest airfares in the country in the third quarter of 2003, according to federal statistics.

Delta spokesman John Kennedy declined comment on Reece's motion and the suit in general.

The lead attorney for plaintiff Nelson Chase - New York-based Joe Opper - also would not comment on the case.

Reece, who is meeting today with representatives of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners in an effort to convince them to hold some events in Cincinnati, said the high airfares hurt tourism.

"The first thing people want to know about tourism is: Is it cost efficient?" Reece said. "If we have one of the highest hubs, then that is not cost efficient."

Reece's motion also asked the city administration to update council on the progress of Delta's commitment to create and maintain jobs in exchange for tax incentives.

Enquirer reporter James Pilcher contributed to this report. E-mail kaldridge@enquirer.com