ATLANTA, Oct. 18, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- As part of the largest international expansion in its history, Delta Air Lines plans to begin non-stop, widebody service from its transatlantic gateways at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to 11 new markets throughout Europe and the Middle East. With this growth, Delta will become the world's largest airline across the Atlantic. The new routes(1) include:
-- Atlanta-Tel Aviv, Israel (previously announced to begin March 27)
-- Atlanta-Dusseldorf, Germany (previously announced to begin April 3)
-- Atlanta-Copenhagen, Denmark (previously announced to begin May 1)
-- Atlanta-Edinburgh, Scotland (effective May 4)
-- New York (JFK)-Budapest, Hungary (effective May 8)
-- Atlanta-Nice, France (effective May 9)
-- Atlanta-Athens, Greece (effective May 29)
-- New York (JFK)-Dublin/Shannon, Ireland (effective May 15)
-- New York (JFK)-Manchester, England (effective May 15)
-- Atlanta-Venice, Italy (effective June 6)
-- New York (JFK)-Kiev, Ukraine
(1) JFK-Kiev service is subject to U.S. and foreign government
approvals. All remaining routes listed except JFK-Manchester
are subject to foreign government approval.
"Next summer's increase in international flying is an integral part of our customer-focused transformation plan," said Delta CEO Gerald Grinstein. "This is a wonderful opportunity to bring Delta's award-winning BusinessElite(r) service to more of our global customers. Since January, we have announced our intentions to serve more than 50 new international markets, making Delta the fastest-growing U.S. carrier to Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America."
In addition to new routes listed above, Delta will increase seasonal capacity between Atlanta and Ireland and between New York (JFK) and Rome. Other recently added transatlantic routes include New York (JFK) to Chennai, India (via Paris); New York (JFK) to Berlin; and Atlanta to Moscow.
Delta also will continue to strengthen its position as a leading airline to Latin America and the Caribbean with planned expansion to more than 28 new markets during the winter 2005-spring 2006 season. These new markets include Atlanta to: Managua, Nicaragua; Roatan and San Pedro Sula, Honduras; and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to name a few.
"Atlanta is America's gateway to Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's Executive Vice President and chief of Network and Revenue Management. "With next summer's additions, Delta will serve 66 international destinations in 40 countries from Atlanta -- making Delta's Atlanta hub the third largest international gateway in North America."
Delta offers the world's largest selection of connecting flights through its extensive network in Atlanta, with nearly 1,000 connecting opportunities each day through one of the world's most convenient connecting facilities.
"Delta is taking bold steps to become America's flag carrier and is proud to offer our customers expanded options at both our Atlanta and New York-JFK hubs," Hauenstein said. "Delta's extensive widebody fleet will permit rapid growth from both hubs as we begin to reconfigure domestic wide bodies to international service -- making Delta the number one airline in widebody comfort across the Atlantic."
Additionally, as part of its efforts to reconfigure aircraft, Delta plans to update the interiors of its entire international fleet to make the travel experience more comfortable for international customers. This includes a refreshed BusinessElite product and the introduction of Delta's improved domestic coach-class cabin on international routes.
Delta's increased international service also will present multiple opportunities for freight forwarders and cargo shippers. The added freight capacity will benefit shippers to and from many of these transatlantic and Latin American destinations.
Delta Air Lines is the world's second-largest airline in terms of passengers carried and the leading U.S. carrier across the Atlantic, offering daily flights to 506 destinations in 91 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and its worldwide partners. Delta's marketing alliances allow customers to earn and redeem frequent flier miles on more than 14,000 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. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.
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