Delta Air Lines Moves to Expand Competition at London's Heathrow Airport

ATLANTA, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today filed applications with the European Commission and the U.S. Department of Transportation requesting permission to operate twice-daily year-round service between London's Heathrow Airport and Boston, and daily year-round service between Heathrow and Miami.

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Delta's new service would benefit consumers by increasing competition among airlines and airline alliances between the U.S. and Heathrow, which is tightly restricted by airport slot restraints. The oneworld alliance, which includes American Airlines and British Airways, holds 47 percent of Heathrow's takeoff and landing slots, while the Star Alliance, which includes United Airlines, US Airways, BMI and Lufthansa, accounts for 25 percent of Heathrow's slots.

SkyTeam, whose members include Delta, Air France-KLM and Alitalia, holds only 5 percent of Heathrow's slots.

"Delta's new service would provide more choices and competition for customers traveling between these important U.S. cities and London, one of the most popular destinations in Europe for both business and leisure travelers," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president – Network Planning and Revenue Management. "Awarding these slots to Delta and SkyTeam would significantly enhance competition among the major alliances across the Atlantic."

The slots for the new service are available following the U.S. and E.U. governments' approval of an immunized trans-Atlantic alliance between American Airlines and British Airways. The government required the airlines to divest some Heathrow slots in order to enhance competition in the most tightly restricted markets.

If approved, Delta's Heathrow service from Boston and Miami would begin March 27, 2011, and would be offered in cooperation with its trans-Atlantic joint venture partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia.

Boston – Heathrow

Boston is one of the largest markets between the U.S. and Heathrow, with more than 270,000 passengers annually. The route is popular with business travelers in the financial services and technology industries.

Delta, the second-largest carrier in Boston with 75 peak-day departures to 17 cities, would operate two flights daily to Heathrow, using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft equipped with 36 seats in BusinessElite and 180 in Economy.

Delta's proposed Boston-Heathrow summer 2011 schedule:

New Delta service between Heathrow and Boston would complement existing trans-Atlantic service offered by the SkyTeam alliance from Boston, including year-round flights to Paris operated by Air France, Rome operated by Alitalia and Amsterdam operated by Delta.

Miami – Heathrow

As Florida's largest carrier offering international service, and the second-largest carrier in Miami, Delta and its SkyTeam partners are well-positioned to enhance competition between Miami and Heathrow. If approved, Delta would operate one daily flight on the route using Boeing 767-300 aircraft.

Delta's proposed Miami-Heathrow summer 2011 schedule:

New Delta service between Heathrow and Miami would complement existing trans-Atlantic service offered by the SkyTeam alliance from Miami including year-round flights to Paris operated by Air France and Rome operated by Alitalia.

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 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs more than 75,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 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 45 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