Delta Plans Ahead

Kevan James

November 9, 2021

Travellers looking towards the summer of 2022 will find that the USA's Delta Air Lines will be offering more routes, premium seats and destinations next year, including a significant restoration of service in which the US carrier plans to offer the most flights between Europe, New York-JFK and Boston. And those looking to kickstart their trip with a more elevated onboard experience can indulge in Delta Premium Select, as every European flight will boast the premium economy cabin for the first time since its debut in 2017.

Image - Kevan James

“We’re focused on bringing back the routes and destinations our customers love, so they enjoy easy, convenient access to a comprehensive, far-reaching network throughout Europe and its neighbouring regions,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s Senior Vice-President – Network Planning. “With the lifting of restrictions to the U.S. and abroad, plus growing vaccination rates and tremendous pent-up demand, travel to Europe is expected to surge next summer – and Delta customers are assured to enjoy every moment from curb to claim.”

As the largest trans-Atlantic carrier from New York-John F Kennedy and Boston, Delta’s summer 2022 schedule will see an increase of 90% in additional capacity across the pond, compared with summer 2021. In total, Delta plan to operate up to 73 daily flights to 25 destinations from 10 U.S. gateway cities. Including Delta’s partners Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic, customers have even more non-stop options to begin their travels with a total of 21 U.S. cities.

The extensive connectivity offered through Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic also means customers can seamlessly connect from Delta to 186 other destinations throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.

Additionally, travellers can look forward to a choice of six more nonstop destinations by next summer with long-awaited returning service to Brussels (BRU), Copenhagen (CPH), Edinburgh (EDI), Munich (MUC), Prague (PRG) and Zurich (ZRH).

Over the next several months, Delta is adding flights to major cities across the Atlantic with more frequencies, returning routes and modernized, upgraded aircraft.

At New York-JFK, Delta will operate up to 29 daily flights to 23 trans-Atlantic destinations in summer 2022, including restarting pre-COVID service to the following destinations:

Daily service to Zurich on Feb. 6, with Boeing 767-400 aircraft.
Five-times weekly service to Brussels on March 26, with Boeing 767-300 aircraft.
Five-times weekly service to Edinburgh on May 1, with Boeing 767-300 aircraft.
Five-times weekly service to Copenhagen and daily service to Prague on May 26, with Boeing 767-300.

Additionally, Delta will:

Add extra flights to Amsterdam, London, Milan and Rome – all operating twice daily in summer 2022.
Resume nonstop service to Frankfurt on Dec. 13, which will operate daily in summer 2022 (route last operated in March 2020).
Upgrade Dublin and Lisbon service to Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 767-300.

In Boston, new and returning routes plus upgraded aircraft will mean rapid growth for Delta’s hub at Logan International Airport. Delta will operate up to 10 daily flights to nine trans-Atlantic destinations, offering nearly 5,000 more seats each week compared with summer 2019, including:

Launching two new routes over Memorial Day weekend to Athens and Tel Aviv on the Airbus A330-300 and A330-900, respectively.
Restarting five-times weekly service to Edinburgh on May 27, with upgraded Boeing 767-300 aircraft.
Resuming nonstop daily service to Rome on May 1.
Upgrading service to Amsterdam, Dublin and Paris to the Airbus A330-300 and Lisbon to the Boeing 767-300.

As the biggest carrier in the U.S. Southeast, Delta will operate up 18 daily flights from Atlanta to 14 trans-Atlantic destinations, including:

Restarting service to Munich on Dec. 13, which will operate daily in summer 2022.
Resuming nonstop service to Milan on May 1 (route was last operated in summer 2019).
Increasing service to Amsterdam to three times a day, London and Rome to twice daily.
Upgrading Dublin service to Airbus A330-300.
Recently launched service to Athens returns on May 1, with upgraded Airbus A330-300.

Delta will also restore trans-Atlantic service to three key U.S. markets: Portland (PDX) to Amsterdam on May 3, and Cincinnati (CVG) and Raleigh-Durham (RDU) to Paris on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3, respectively.

As international travel gradually began to return in 2021, the US airline took advantage of the recovery to upgrade and outfit its Airbus A330* and Boeing 767-300 fleet with the Delta Premium Select cabin, which was previously focused in long-haul trans-Pacific markets. Both fleet types will also receive additional upgrades like refreshed lavatories and new LED cabin lighting.

With this fleet refresh, every flight to Europe by next summer will offer a consistent onboard experience with a choice of four cabin selections – Delta One or Delta One Suites, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin – each appealing to a wide variety of travellers.**

The elevated experience in Delta Premium Select includes more space to relax and stretch out with a wider seat, deeper recline and an adjustable footrest and leg rest. Customers will enjoy Delta’s best-in-class seatback entertainment with larger screens while powering up their own devices with in-seat power and USB ports. They’ll also receive an amenity kit, noise-cancelling headsets and a blanket and pillow to help them arrive rested and refreshed.

Planning an international trip is going to require new steps, even before before arriving at the airport, but Delta is delivering new digital solutions and a more personalised experience. As the U.S. reopens to vaccinated international travellers on Nov. 8 with ever-increasing demand, the airline is offering simplified health and other entry requirements during boarding, check-in and beyond via its website, delta.com. Customers on nearly all routes into the U.S. will also be able to verify their vaccination certificate and negative COVID-19 test results using Delta FlyReady.

Additionally, Delta is revamping its Delta Discover Map, allowing customers to conveniently filter destinations based on vaccination status. The Fly Delta app remains the ultimate travel companion with a new day-of travel experience, self-service improvements and more.

*Delta Premium Select is pre-installed on Delta’s Airbus A330-900neo fleet.

**MSP-KEF operated on a Boeing 757 with Delta Premium Select-branded First Class cabin.

All images Delta Air Lines unless stated otherwise