ATLANTA, May 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines
(NYSE: DAL) continues to expand its connections between
Brazil and the United States with a new nonstop flight
between Rio de Janeiro and New
York-JFK, available for booking through www.delta.com on Saturday.
Delta will connect the two cities with a daily service, starting
southbound Dec. 21, 2017, and
northbound the next day.
The airline's strategic alliance with GOL Linhas Aereas
Inteligentes will extend the reach of this service to 23
destinations within Brazil and
provides seamless connections at Antonio Carlos Jobim International
Airport (GIG) in Rio de Janeiro.
On the other end, Delta will offer 49 U.S. destinations beyond its
hub at New York-JFK.
"By boosting our network to and from Rio de Janeiro, we're giving customers more
options to suit their travel needs," said Luciano Macagno, Delta's Director — Brazil. "It is exciting to have the
opportunity to offer a daily direct flight from Rio de Janeiro to our second-largest
international hub at New York-JFK. Delta's continued route
expansions demonstrate our commitment to the Brazilian market and
the strength of our alliance with our Brazilian partner, GOL."
Delta's proposed schedule between Rio
de Janeiro (GIG) and New York-JFK (JFK) is as follows:
Flight
Number
|
Departs
|
Arrives
|
Frequency
|
Effective
|
DL 479
|
New York-JFK (JFK) at
9:24 p.m.
|
Rio de Janeiro (GIG)
at 10:30 a.m.
|
Daily
|
Dec. 21,
2017
|
DL 478
|
Rio de Janeiro (GIG)
at 10:15 p.m.
|
New York-JFK (JFK) at
5:36 a.m.
|
Daily
|
Dec. 22,
2017
|
The GIG-JFK route will be operated using a Boeing 767-400
aircraft with 40 Delta One full flat-bed seats with direct aisle
access for every passenger. The aircraft also has oversized
personal entertainment screens, allowing travelers to increase
productivity or better rest, as well as experience the on-demand
audio/video in-flight entertainment system. Delta customers flying
on Delta One will enjoy industry-leading food with Latin-inspired
meal selections by Chef Michelle
Bernstein, paired with elegant wines chosen by master
sommelier Andrea Robinson.
The 246-passenger aircraft also includes 28 Delta Comfort+ seats
and 178 seats in the Main Cabin. Delta's latest improvements
included the introduction of new sleep kits and several other
upgraded amenities for passengers seated in the Main Cabin on
flights to and from Brazil.
Customers flying in Delta Comfort+, Delta's premium economy
service, benefit from up to four additional inches of legroom and
50 percent more recline than Delta's standard international Main
Cabin seats; free beer, wine, snacks; and priority boarding. Other
product initiatives being rolled out across Delta's international
fleet include the expansion of its Wi-Fi service.
Elite customers and passengers flying in Delta One through Rio
de Janeiro-GIG and New York-JFK will also benefits with a premium
airport experience at the 24,000 square-foot flagship Delta
Sky Club in JFK's Terminal 4, the biggest club in Delta's system,
and a recently opened GOL VIP lounge located in GIG's Terminal
2.
About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines is working to
be the best U.S. airline in Latin
America and the Caribbean. It has been honored with
five World Travel Awards in 2016 in the categories of North America's Leading Airline and Leading
U.S. Airline to Central America,
to South America, to Caribbean and to Mexico for the second year in a row. Delta has
been also recognized with LADEVI's 2016 Insignia Latam Excellence
award for its service to the region. Delta continues to grow in
Latin America through its
long-term exclusive alliances with GOL Linhas Aéreas
Inteligentes, Aeroméxico and Aerolíneas Argentinas, and
is committed to building a solid regional footprint to enhance its
global network and offer its customers the best overall
experience. Delta provides service to 33 countries and 54
destinations in the region, offering over 1,600 weekly flights
between the U.S. and Latin
America/the Caribbean.
Delta customers can also receive real-time, on-the-go travel
assistance in Spanish and Portuguese through Twitter channels
@DeltaAssist_ES and @DeltaAjuda from 9 a.m.
to 7 p.m. EST. Brazilian customers can also access Delta's
dedicated Brazilian Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/DeltaAirLinesBrasil.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 180 million customers each
year. In 2017, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired
Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for
the sixth time in seven years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1
in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an
unprecedented six consecutive years. With an industry-leading
global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer
service to 323 destinations in 59 countries on six continents.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta
employs more than 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a
mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding
member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the
industry's leading transatlantic joint venture with Air
France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin
Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers
customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets
including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles,
Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow,
Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita.
Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities,
global products and services, and technology to enhance the
customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional
information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as
delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and
Facebook.com/delta.
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines