ATLANTA, March 8, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Delta Air Lines is continuing its rapid expansion to Latin America and the Caribbean with two new gateways for travel between the United States and two of the hottest destinations in the region. Effective June 7 and June 9, respectively, Delta will add service between Fort Lauderdale and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic* and between Los Angeles and Belize City, Belize*.
"Delta continues to be a leader in growth to Latin American and the Caribbean and we are pleased to add two more gateways for customers to reach two of our most popular destinations this summer," said Bob Cortelyou, vice president - Network Planning. "Our new destinations from Fort Lauderdale and L.A. are the latest in a series of more than a dozen new Caribbean flights that Delta, along with Delta Connection, has announced, added or applied to serve in the last year."
With its summer schedule, Delta plans to offer Santo Domingo customers a total of 21 weekly flights -- seven to New York-JFK, seven to Atlanta, and seven to Fort Lauderdale, complementing 28 other flights from U.S. gateways to Puerto Plata, Santiago and Punta Cana. Santo Domingo, the second-most populated city in the Antilles region, is located in the south of the country at the shores of the Caribbean Sea, and is the prime driver of the Dominican Republic's growing popularity as a beachgoer's paradise.
Meanwhile, with the addition of new flights between Los Angeles and Belize, Delta and Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines will offer nine weekly flights from Belize City, with daily service to Atlanta (twice on Saturdays) and once weekly to Los Angeles. Belize is a favorite ecotourism destination known for its lush jungles and famous for having the second longest barrier reef in the world.
Delta's new flights are scheduled as follows:
Delta's schedule between Fort Lauderdale and Dominican Republic, effective June 7*:
Flight Departs Arrives Frequency
291 Fort Lauderdale Santo Domingo Daily
at 7:15 a.m. at 9:15 a.m.
292 Santo Domingo Fort Lauderdale Daily
at 7:15 p.m. at 9:20 p.m.
Delta's schedule between Los Angeles and Belize, effective June 9*:
Flight Departs Arrives Frequency
197 Los Angeles at Belize at Saturday only
11:59 p.m. 5:24 a.m.
196** Belize at Los Angeles at Sunday only
7:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
* Service is subject to foreign government approval
** Effective June 10
To celebrate the new service to the Dominican Republic, Delta is offering a special low introductory fare from Fort Lauderdale to Santo Domingo of $139 one way based on a round-trip purchase for tickets purchased at delta.com or through a travel agent. Travel to Santo Domingo may begin on or after June 7, 2007. Additional taxes/fees/restrictions apply. See below for more details.
Eco-travelers and others wishing to take advantage of Delta's new service to Belize, will enjoy a special low introductory fare of $229 one way based on a round-trip purchase for travel from Los Angeles (LAX) for tickets purchased at delta.com or through a travel agent. Travel to Belize may begin on or after June 9, 2007. In both instances, travel must be completed by Sept. 11, 2007. Additional taxes/fees/restrictions apply. See below for more details.
Delta Air Lines (Other OTC:DALRQ) offers customers service to more destinations than any global airline with Delta and Delta Connection carrier service to 308 destinations in 52 countries. With more than 60 new international routes added in the last year, Delta is America's fastest growing international airline and is a leader across the Atlantic with flights to 31 trans-Atlantic destinations. To Latin America and the Caribbean, Delta and Delta Connection offers more than 600 weekly flights to 58 destinations. 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. Including its SkyTeam and worldwide codeshare partners, Delta offers flights to 458 worldwide destinations in 99 countries. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes and check flight status at delta.com.
A portion of travel for some itineraries may be on the Delta Connection carriers: Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Big Sky Airlines, Chautauqua, Comair, Freedom Airlines, Shuttle America, and SkyWest; SkyTeam partners: Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines; or Delta codeshare partners: Alaska Airlines, American Eagle, ExpressJet, Horizon Air Industries, Mesaba, and Pinnacle Airlines.
The Delta Air Lines, Inc. logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1825
Restrictions: Fares shown are available for purchase only on delta.com or from your travel agent. Tickets cost $10 more if purchased from Delta over the telephone or $15 more if purchased at an airport or city ticket office, and these amounts are nonrefundable. Travel agents may impose an additional service charge for ticketing. Tickets are nontransferable. Seats are limited and fares may not be available on all flights or in all markets. Tickets: Fares shown are one-way. Round-trip purchase is required. Tickets must be purchased within 72 hours after reservations are made, but no later than March 21, 2007. See delta.com for online ticket purchase requirements and restrictions. Travel Period: To Santo Domingo, travel may begin on or after June 7, 2007. To Belize City, travel may begin on or after June 9, 2007. Travel must be completed by September 11, 2007. Blackout Dates: None. Fare Validity: Fares are valid in the Economy (Coach) cabin on Delta/Delta Connection carrier and certain codeshare partner flights only. Minimum Stay: 3 nights. Maximum Stay: None, except travel must be completed by September 11, 2007. Cancellations/Refunds/Changes: Fares are nonrefundable. Delta may permit you to apply a portion of the fare value to future travel upon payment of applicable fees and fare difference, otherwise the ticket will have no value. Fees may apply for downgrades/reissues and itinerary changes. Delta may allow you to cancel certain electronic tickets until midnight of the day after purchase (or midnight of the departure date of the first flight, whichever comes first) without penalty if purchased at the time of reservation directly from Delta. Contact a Delta agent or visit delta.com for details. Taxes/Fees: Fares do not include a $3.40 Federal Excise Tax, Passenger Facility Charge(s) of up to $4.50 for each flight segment, or the September 11th Security Fee of up to $2.50 for each flight segment. A flight segment is defined as a takeoff and a landing. International fares do not include U.S. International Air Transportation Tax of up to $30.20 and U.S. and foreign user, inspection, security or other similarly based charges, fees or taxes of up to $280, depending on itinerary. These taxes and fees are the responsibility of the passenger and must be paid at the time the ticket is purchased. SkyMiles and Partner Offers: Bonus mile offers valid only for tickets purchased at delta.com, after you fly. Partner offers subject to the terms and conditions of each individual offer. Partners subject to change. All SkyMiles program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/memberguide. Miscellaneous: Fares and rules are subject to change without notice. Offers subject to change and void where prohibited by law. Special offers issued at delta.com may not be applied to or combined with other Delta fares or offers. It is the responsibility of the passenger to be in possession of all necessary documentation (e.g. valid passport, visa where applicable) at the time of departure from origin. Delta reserves the right to deny boarding to passengers without the proper documentation. Other restrictions may apply.