Delta Air Lines to expand Europe service from U.S. hubs

ATLANTA, May 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will strengthen its leading position in the New York market by offering new year-round daily service from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Zurich Airport and expanded service to Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport. Zurich and Rome are two important business markets in Europe and provide a valuable link to the financial center of the U.S.

"As the primary business market on the trans-Atlantic, demand continues to increase for more nonstop flights from New York to European destinations," said Gail Grimmett, Delta's senior vice president - New York. "Zurich ranks fourth in terms of business traffic from New York, and our additional service will build on the commercial, tourism and community links between these two cities."

The Zurich flight will be operated using a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft featuring full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access in the BusinessElite cabin. Daily Zurich service will begin effective June 16, 2014 and during the summer will complement the airline's existing service from Atlanta. Rome service will operate daily from April to October on an Airbus A330-300 aircraft, and then five times per week in November, December and March on a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft in conjunction with Delta joint venture partner Alitalia.

Delta's new nonstop service between New York-JFK and Zurich operates on the following schedule:

Delta's new nonstop service between New York-JFK and Rome operates on the following schedule:

Effective this winter, Delta and its joint venture partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia are also expanding service to key European hubs at Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport and Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. From Atlanta, the joint venture will offer additional daily nonstop service for a total of four daily flights to both Amsterdam* and Paris, timed to provide customers with more connecting opportunities to destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"With the most established joint venture across the Atlantic, we are in a unique position to collaborate with our joint venture partners to make full use of our combined fleet and networks to best serve our customers," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president and chief revenue officer. "Delivering more hub-to-hub flying provides a network with higher frequencies and tailored schedules for our trans-Atlantic travelers."

Additional nonstop service between Atlanta and Paris will operate on the following schedule:

Additional nonstop service between Atlanta and Amsterdam will operate on the following schedule:

All of Delta's international widebody flights now offer full flat-bed seats with direct aisle access in BusinessElite in addition to Economy Comfort seating. Delta is also the only U.S. domestic carrier to offer personal, on-demand entertainment at every seat on all long-haul international flights. Delta will also roll out Wi-Fi across its entire international fleet by the end of 2015.

Customers flying from New York-JFK will benefit from Delta's new Terminal 4, a $1.4 billion, state-of-the-art international gateway that opened in May 2013 with a second phase extension expected to be completed by spring 2015. One of the largest terminals in North America, Terminal 4 offers travelers a spacious environment with a wide variety of shopping and dining options. BusinessElite customers will enjoy the Delta Sky Club at Terminal 4, featuring the Sky Deck at Delta Sky Club – the airline's first outdoor airport terrace offering unprecedented runway views.

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 322 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.

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SOURCE Delta Air Lines