Delta Air Lines Expanding Service in New York, Los Angeles

ATLANTA, March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today announced expanded service in Los Angeles and New York, two of the nation's top markets for business travelers.  The expansion includes:

• A new business shuttle service with 11 daily round-trip flights between New York-LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare International airports, replacing existing, less-frequent service between LaGuardia and Chicago Midway.

• New nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport and four U.S. cities – Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Conn.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; and San Francisco.  

(Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090202/DELTALOGO )

"The addition of Chicago O'Hare to the Delta Shuttle from New York and our ongoing expansion at Los Angeles International Airport underscore Delta's commitment to providing our customers superior service between America's preferred business airports," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president – Network Planning and Revenue Management.

New York-Chicago

Delta's new hourly shuttle service between New York-La Guardia and Chicago O'Hare will begin June 10 and replace existing flights between LaGuardia and Chicago Midway.  The flights, which are a strategic part of Delta's commitment to expand in New York, will operate between Delta's convenient Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia and O'Hare's Terminal 2.

In advance of the launch, Delta will install new dedicated Shuttle check-in and self-service kiosks at O'Hare, which will become a new Delta Shuttle station. The kiosks feature the ability to purchase tickets for travel that day to LaGuardia, replicating the speed and convenience that customers enjoy in other Delta Shuttle markets.  The airline also will assign the Chicago-New York flights to dedicated gates located nearest to O'Hare's Terminal 2 security checkpoint and offer complimentary morning coffee, tea and newspapers to customers departing from these gates.

Flights on this route will be operated with Embraer 175 jets equipped with 12 seats in First Class and 64 seats in Economy Class.  Both cabins are configured with no middle seats. Delta's enhanced onboard Shuttle product will be offered in both classes, including meals in First Class, and, in economy, bagels on departures before 10 a.m. and complimentary wine and Sam Adams beer.

With the addition of Chicago O'Hare, Delta will be the only airline offering shuttle services to New York's top three business markets: Chicago O'Hare, Boston-Logan and Washington, D.C.-Reagan National.

"As a top market for travelers flying to and from New York, O'Hare is a natural addition to the Delta Shuttle," said Gail Grimmett, Delta's senior vice president – New York.  "Delta customers have long asked for the addition of O'Hare to our popular Shuttle product and we look forward to welcoming more Chicagoans onboard our flights to and from New York."

Los Angeles

Delta's new service between Los Angeles International Airport and four U.S. cities adds to the airline's previously announced summer expansion plans from California, including new nonstop flights between San Diego and Honolulu; Sacramento and Detroit, and increased service between Los Angeles and Maui and Memphis.

The new flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco will operate daily. The Columbus flight will operate daily, while the Hartford and Raleigh-Durham flights will operate Sunday through Friday, beginning June 10..

Each of Delta's new flights will offer customers First Class and Economy Class service, and will be operated on a mix of Boeing 737-800, Airbus A320 and Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft.

"Los Angeles' strategic position in the Delta network continues to gain importance as we expand opportunities for customers to connect to our trans-Pacific services from this growing, thriving gateway," Hauenstein said. "We are pleased not only to continue to expand service for Delta customers via L.A. but also to offer the convenience of L.A. connections to customers flying our alliance partners."

Delta's added flights are expected to improve connections for SkyTeam customers utilizing Los Angeles International Airport as a gateway to California and points across the United States.  SkyTeam partner China Southern Airlines, for instance, currently does not operate service to Northern California and plans to use the new flights to offer access to San Francisco, which is the second largest U.S. market for Chinese travelers.

In the last year, Delta has significantly increased service at its Los Angeles gateway with the addition of 19 new peak-day departures.  In total, Delta plans to operate 81 peak day-departures to 26 nonstop destinations from Los Angeles this June.  

Delta also has announced plans to renovate and expand its Sky Club at Los Angeles' Terminal 5 beginning later this year.  The expanded lounge will accommodate the increasing number of travelers connecting to and from Delta's domestic and international flights at Los Angeles, including flights operated by SkyTeam partners AeroMexico, Air France, China Southern, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Korean Air and West Coast partner Alaska Airlines.

And Delta will complete plans to expand the capacity of its security screening checkpoint in Terminal 5 before summer 2010, improving customer flow and further streamlining the airport experience in Los Angeles.

Flights schedules for the new Chicago-New York shuttle and expanded Los Angeles service are available online at http://news.delta.com/index.php?s=18&item=130. Flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco are currently available for purchase at delta.com and via other ticketing channels. Flights between Los Angeles and Columbus, Hartford and Raleigh-Durham will be available for purchase March 20, and flights between New York-LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare will be available for purchase March 27.

A portion of travel for some itineraries may be on Delta Connection carriers Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Chautauqua, Comair, Compass Airlines, Freedom Airlines, Mesaba, Pinnacle Airlines, Shuttle America and SkyWest.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 367 destinations in 66 countries on six continents. Delta employs more than 70,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of nearly 800 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France KLM. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 16,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world's largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines