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More flights, service returns in July as Delta continues industry-leading safety measures

Direct News Source

As economies reopen and border restrictions lift, Delta will add almost 1,000 flights system-wide in July, boosting service and nonstop connectivity to popular summer destinations and major business markets.

Customers traveling or considering travel this summer can feel confident in a safe experience throughout the journey, from check-in to baggage claim. Delta has implemented several measures to encourage extra space and provide peace of mind at the airport, as well as committed to capping cabin seating at 60 percent in Main Cabin and 50 percent in First Class and blocking middle seats through Sept. 30, 2020.

"Confidence in a safe travel experience is key to a successful recovery," said Joe Esposito, Senior Vice President - Network Planning. "While we're rebuilding our network at home and abroad, it's even more critical that we provide the highest industry standard of safety, space and clean so when our customers are ready to travel, we're ready for them."

Customers also have the flexibility to change their plans without a fee for a year, for new flights purchased through June 30.

Even with the modest growth in demand, Delta's July schedule will be approximately 70 percent smaller than the same time last year, including reductions of about 65 percent for U.S. domestic travel and nearly 75 percent for international.

As Delta looks ahead to the remainder of the summer travel season, the airline will stay focused on adding seat capacity, gradually rebuilding its footprint in local markets and resuming high-demand service suspended due to travel restrictions.

U.S. DOMESTIC & CANADA
Delta will continue to add more nonstop connectivity between top markets, with a focus on major hubs like Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. For customers looking to vacation closer to home this summer, Delta is adding capacity to popular leisure markets like Florida and throughout the West Coast, as well as more transcontinental flying for business travelers.

While seating is capped to ensure more space between customers this summer, we will look for opportunities to up-size to a larger aircraft type or add more flying on routes with increasing customer demand.

With non-essential travel guidelines between the U.S. and Canada extended into July, Delta will continue to operate a limited schedule for those with critical travel needs. Minneapolis, Detroit and New York-JFK serve as Delta's main gateways to destinations like Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Winnipeg. Delta will also continue service to Vancouver from Seattle.

Delta has also temporarily consolidated operations in some markets served by multiple airports, as well as suspended flying to select U.S. cities while customer traffic is significantly reduced.

LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Delta will add a significant amount of capacity back into the Latin region in response to reopened borders and the increased demand for leisure travel. Delta will operate approximately 25 percent of our schedule compared to last year, a marked improvement from June's capacity that was reduced by more than 90 percent due to travel restrictions.

Flight additions are focused on popular vacation spots close to the U.S. for travelers longing for a beach trip, particularly gateways to Cancun and markets like Los Cabos, Montego Bay, Nassau, St. Thomas and Punta Cana.

Delta also plans to resume South American connectivity with service from Atlanta to São Paulo, as well as previously suspended routes in Central America and the Caribbean in high demand for summer like Aruba, St. Maarten and Costa Rica.

TRANS-ATLANTIC
Pending a lift on border restrictions, Delta will resume service to two customer favorite summer destinations - four-times weekly service from New York-JFK to Lisbon and daily service from JFK to Athens. Delta is also expanding its focus on hub-to-hub flying to coastal markets by adding four-times weekly service from Boston to Amsterdam and daily service from Seattle to Amsterdam. We will also restart Detroit to Paris-Charles De Gaulle service.

Connectivity within Africa will also expand, pending government approval, with the resumption of service from New York-JFK to Accra, as well as service from Atlanta to Lagos.

TRANS-PACIFIC
Delta continues to operate a significantly reduced schedule to the Asia-Pacific region but will restart weekly service from Los Angeles to Sydney in July. The airline will also add weekly flights from Atlanta to Seoul-Incheon, complementing existing service from Detroit and Seattle. Delta will continue to operate service to Tokyo-Haneda from Detroit and Seattle.

Subject to government approval, Delta plans to operate service to Shanghai (via Incheon) up to seven times per week.

Delta's schedule remains subject to change due to the evolving nature of COVID-19, customer demand, government travel regulations and federal health guidelines. Specific restart dates in July may vary for previously suspended routes due to travel restrictions and other operational requirements.

This press release was sourced from Delta Air Lines on 15-Jun-2020.