Delta Kicks Off Expansion At World's Top Business Airports

ATLANTA, Feb. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is preparing to expand service to two key international business airports – Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Heathrow Airport in London – as it continues its focus on key markets for strategic growth in 2011.

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Delta begins nonstop service between Tokyo-Haneda and Detroit and Los Angeles on Saturday, and will launch its new routes between Boston and Miami and London's Heathrow Airport on March 26.

"While Delta's overall capacity growth in 2011 will be measured due to rising fuel costs and economic conditions, we're investing in high-growth and restricted markets such as Heathrow and Haneda," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president – Network Planning, Revenue Management and Marketing. "These are destinations with great market potential, not just for the short term but in the long term as well."

Under multinational air service agreements, Delta has only been allowed to serve Heathrow since 2007 and is gaining access to Haneda this year. Delta is now the fastest-growing U.S. carrier to Heathrow, and with new Haneda flights, will become the largest U.S. carrier to both of Tokyo's major airports – Haneda and Narita.

London-Heathrow

Heathrow is London's preferred airport for business travelers. Since 2007, when the U.S. and U.K. governments liberalized air service access between their two countries, Delta has added more nonstop service to Heathrow than any of its U.S. competitors. The airline has grown from no service to Heathrow in 2007 to 10 daily flights from six U.S. cities planned for summer 2011, with nonstop service from its hubs in Atlanta, Detroit, New York-JFK, and Minneapolis-St. Paul as well as Boston and Miami.

"Delta's industry-leading growth in Heathrow service underscores our commitment to the market," said Perry Cantarutti, Delta's senior vice president – Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Heathrow is the airport our international business customers consistently tell us they prefer when flying to London."

In conjunction with its new service, Delta is offering special introductory fares for travel on its new routes between Heathrow and Boston and Miami. Special fares also are available on connecting flights to Heathrow via Miami from Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, Fla. Delta is adding new nonstop flights between the three cities and Miami International Airport to enable convenient connections to Heathrow for customers across Florida. The intra-Florida flights will be operated by Delta Connection carriers Comair and Pinnacle airlines using 50-seat Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets.

Tokyo-Haneda

In addition to Heathrow, Delta is expanding into another restricted airport in 2011, with new nonstop service to Tokyo-Haneda from Detroit and Los Angeles beginning Saturday.  Tokyo-Haneda is preferred by many business travelers because of its proximity to central Tokyo.

"Our new nonstop service to Haneda Airport in Tokyo is a natural addition to our industry-leading Asia service, which continues to grow," said Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president – Asia-Pacific. "Delta flights to conveniently located Haneda complement our hub at Tokyo-Narita, and underscore our ongoing investment in the region."

Haneda is now open to trans-Pacific flights this year for the first time in three decades, after being limited primarily to domestic Japan service. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Delta two of the four routes available for U.S. carriers between the U.S. and Haneda.

The new Haneda service is part of Delta's ongoing expansion in Asia, where the airline had the strongest revenue growth of its worldwide network in 2010. New service includes:

• New service between its Tokyo-Narita hub and Guangzhou, China, starting in April.
• Expanded flights between Narita and Manila, Philippines, beginning in April.
• Resumption of service between Atlanta and Shanghai, China, starting in June.
• New flights between Detroit and Beijing, China, beginning in July.
• New daily service Nagoya, Japan and Honolulu, which launched in December 2010.
• Weekly flights between Narita and the Pacific island of Palau, which began in December 2010.

Customer Service

In addition to its new international flights, Delta continues to invest heavily in the customer experience, investing more than $2 billion in enhanced airport facilities, technology and global products and services through 2013.

This year, Delta will offer full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite and personal, in-seat entertainment for both Business and Economy class customers on all flights to London-Heathrow. By 2013, the airline will offer those features to customers on all trans-oceanic widebody flights.

In addition, Delta offers in-flight Internet Wi-Fi on all domestic flights that feature two-class service; and a larger percentage of First Class seats than any other airline.  Delta also is expanding international terminals at its largest global gateways.  In New York, Delta will expand and enhance Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport to create a state-of-the-art facility by mid-2013, while a new international concourse in Atlanta is slated to open in mid-2012.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 357 destinations in 66 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 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 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

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

*Terms & Conditions: Fares shown are only available at delta.com. Tickets cost $25 more if purchased from Delta over the phone, $35 more at a Delta ticket counter or ticket office, and these amounts are nonrefundable. Tickets are non-transferable. Seats are limited. Tickets: Tickets must be purchased at no later than March 1, 2011. Travel Period: Travel in Economy to London-Heathrow may begin March 26-April 17, 2011 or May 1-15, 2011, all travel must be completed on or before June 15, 2011. Travel in Business Elite to London-Heathrow may begin March 26- May 15, 2011, all travel must be completed on or before June 15, 2011. Blackout Dates: From London-Heathrow to Miami in Economy: April 4-13, 2011.

Fare Validity: Fares are valid on Delta Air Lines; SkyTeam partner: KLM; or Delta Connection carriers: Comair, Pinnacle Airlines and Atlantic Southeast Airlines. Minimum Stay: Saturday night. Maximum Stay: 1 month Taxes/Fees:  Federal Excise tax of $3.70, Passenger Facility Charge(s) of up to $4.50, and the September 11th Security Fee of up to $2.50 for each flight segment are not included. Fares do not include U.S. International Air Transportation Tax of up to $32.60 and U.S. and foreign user, inspection, security or other similarly based charges, fees or taxes of up to $600, depending on itinerary. Taxes and fees must be paid when the ticket is purchased. Baggage Charges: For travel to/from Europe there is a 50 USD/CAD*/EUR* fee for second bag checked when bags are prepaid during online check-in at delta.com. There is an additional 5 USD/CAD*/EUR* surcharge for the second bag, when checking in via ticket counter, kiosk, or curbside. For travel to/ from Europe there is a 200 USD/CAD*/EUR* fee for third checked bag. All allowances subject to size/weight limits. Contact a Delta agent or see Excess Baggage for details.  *Fees are CAD exit Canada, EUR exit Europe. Cancellations/Refunds/Changes: Tickets are nonrefundable except in accordance with Delta's cancellation policy. Fees may apply for downgrades/reissues and itinerary changes. Contact a Delta agent or see Ticket Changes for details. SkyMiles Partner Offers: 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, see Membership Guide & Program Rules. Miscellaneous:  Fares, taxes, fees, rules, and offers are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines