Joint venture partner Air France to add third daily nonstop flight
from New York-JFK, complementing Delta's existing service
Customers will have the option of morning, early evening or
late evening departure
ATLANTA, Oct. 8, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) customers flying Business class between the United States and London's Heathrow Airport will enjoy the comfort of a 180-degree full flat bed on every flight beginning summer 2009.
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Delta customers also will enjoy the convenience of a third daily nonstop flight between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and London-Heathrow, operated by joint venture partner Air France. The service will complement Delta's two existing flights between New York and Heathrow and one flight between Atlanta and Heathrow and will give customers the scheduling flexibility of a morning, early evening or late evening departure.
"Delta continues to listen to our customers' requests for enhanced service in the world's major markets and we are pleased to add the consistency of 180-degree full flat beds to all Delta flights operating at the world's No.1 business airport -- Heathrow," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president - Network Planning and Revenue Management. "The introduction of full-flat service onboard the Delta 767 fleet will enhance our position in the highly competitive U.S.-to-Heathrow market."
Effective summer 2009, Delta's flights between the United States and Heathrow will be upgraded to feature Boeing 767-400ER aircraft with 40 new 180-degree full flat beds in the aircraft's BusinessElite cabin. The seats, designed by Thompson Aerospace and engineered and manufactured by Contour Premium Aircraft Seating, recline to 77-inch-long beds in a one-two-one configuration giving every BusinessElite customer direct aisle access. Delta is reconfiguring seven of its 767-400 aircraft with the full-flat beds.
In total, Delta and Air France plan to offer customers four daily nonstop flights between the United States and London-Heathrow next summer -- one from Atlanta and three from New York-JFK. Delta also currently offers service between London's Gatwick Airport and Atlanta twice daily and between London-Gatwick and Cincinnati once daily. Air France has announced that it intends to discontinue service between Los Angeles and Heathrow as it adds the new nonstop Heathrow flight from New York.
Delta Air Lines operates service to more worldwide destinations than any airline with Delta and Delta Connection flights to 287 destinations in 58 countries. Delta has added more international capacity than any major U.S. airline during the last two years and is the leader across the Atlantic with flights to 42 trans-Atlantic markets. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta offers 315 weekly flights to 43 destinations. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles on more than 16,000 flights offered by SkyTeam and other partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance that provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 500 worldwide destinations in 105 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and flight status at delta.com.
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