Lincoln officials have high hopes for the new Delta Air Lines flights to Atlanta and Salt Lake City.
Executive director John Wood says the new service begins Thursday.
He says the flights are a big deal for the airport, which has been struggling.
In the past four years, Lincoln Airport has lost direct service to Memphis, Detroit and Las Vegas, with an accompanying drop in passengers.
Through April, passenger traffic is down 14 percent compared with the same period in 2008.
Travel agency owner Steve Glenn says Delta will need to move the flights earlier for the service to succeed.
Lincoln Chamber of Commerce President Wendy Birdsall says the airport "really is a 'use it or lose it' deal."
