NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Adding ever more global opportunities for customers via its hub at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, Delta Air Lines is set to begin its first-ever non-stop service between the Big Apple and South America. Subject to foreign government approvals, Delta will offer daily non-stop service between JFK and South America's largest city, Sao Paulo, Brazil, effective June 1, as it continues its rapid expansion into popular Latin American leisure and business destinations.
"Delta is thrilled to extend our South American expertise and leadership to the New York market with the first non-stop Delta service between New York and Brazil," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president of Network and Revenue Management. "Delta already offers New York customers the most service of any U.S. airline across the Atlantic, the most domestic capacity from New York's LaGuardia Airport, and the city's leading Shuttle product to Washington, D.C. and Boston. The addition of daily, non-stop service from New York to South America's largest market is the latest step in ensuring that Delta is New York's airline of choice. More service announcements that will further extend our leadership position in New York are planned later this winter."
The addition of non-stop flights between Delta's hub at New York-JFK and South America is the latest in a series of moves to strengthen Delta's standing as a leading global airline across the Atlantic and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean -- boosting Delta to become the world's largest carrier across the Atlantic and the second-largest U.S. carrier to South and Central America by summer 2006.
With the added freight capacity, Delta's new service from New York to Sao Paulo also will benefit freight forwarders and cargo shippers in both countries. In addition to its new service between New York and Sao Paulo, Delta serves Brazil with daily flights from its hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Rio de Janeiro, as well as Sao Paulo. And elsewhere in South America, Delta offers customers daily flights between Atlanta and Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Caracas, Venezuela; Lima, Peru; and Santiago, Chile.
"We are excited that our partner, Delta Air Lines, is strategically expanding service for the Brazilian travel community," said Joao De Matos, president of Brazilian Travel Service, BACC Travel, and Brazilian Vacation Center, the largest Brazilian travel agency in the United States. "Delta's proactive move will create new travel opportunities for the cities of New York and Sao Paulo, and it will complement the airline's Atlanta flight which has been very popular with our customers."
Delta's new flights between New York and Sao Paulo will add to the 21 transatlantic destinations served by Delta from New York, including four new non-stop routes planned for summer 2006: Budapest, Hungary; Dublin/Shannon, Ireland; Kiev, Ukraine (subject to foreign government approvals); and Manchester, England.
Delta's new schedule between New York-JFK and Sao Paulo:
Flight Departs Arrives
91 (1) New York-JFK at 10:10 p.m. Sao Paulo at 8:45 a.m.
(the following day)
92 (2) Sao Paulo at 9:50 p.m. New York-JFK at 6:25 a.m.
(the following day)
(1) Effective June 1, 2006
(2) Effective June 2, 2006
In the first quarter of 2006, Delta and its codeshare partners will offer service between the United States and more than 170 markets in Latin America, the Caribbean and Bermuda. For special travel deals to many of these destinations and easy online information and booking, customers should go to delta.com.
Delta Air Lines is the world's second-largest airline in terms of passengers carried, offering daily flights to 503 destinations in 94 countries on Delta, Song, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers and its worldwide partners. In summer 2006, Delta will be the world's leading carrier across the Atlantic as it launches flights to 11 new European destinations from its Atlanta and New York-JFK hubs. Delta also is a major carrier to Mexico, South and Central America and the Caribbean, with more than 35 routes announced, added or applied to serve since Jan. 1, 2005. Delta's marketing alliances also allow customers to earn and redeem SkyMiles 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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