NEW YORK, May 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines
(NYSE: DAL) will launch its new nonstop flight between New York's John F. Kennedy airport and
Edinburgh, Scotland, today,
offering more on-board amenities than any other airline serving
this route. The new year-round service extends Delta's U.K. network
into Scotland.
"Delta connects our customers to the world with more flights
from New York than any other
carrier, and we are proud to add Edinburgh to our global network," said
Henry Kuykendall, Delta's Vice
President – New York.
"We're looking forward to bringing thousands more American
visitors to Scotland," said
Frank Jahangir, Delta's Vice
President – Sales for Europe,
Middle East and Africa. "As the only year-round nonstop flight
between New York and Edinburgh, we are confident that the route
will expand trade and tourism opportunities. VisitScotland
statistics estimate that the new flight has the potential to bring
an additional £23 million to the Scottish tourism industry in one
year alone."
According to the U.K.'s Office for National Statistics,
the United States is the
number-one inbound tourism market to Scotland, with nearly a half-million visitors
in 2014 – an increase of 100,000 compared to the previous year.
Overall tourism expenditure in the country stood around
$14 billion in 2014.
"Scottish tourism punches above its weight on the world stage,
and this new Delta service from New
York to Edinburgh will be
another fantastic boost, strengthening our connectivity in the
North American market by unlocking Delta's vast domestic network,"
said Malcolm Roughead, Chief
Executive of VisitScotland.
Delta's New York to
Edinburgh service will initially
be operated using a 163-seat Boeing 757-200ER, with a larger
210-seat widebody Boeing 767-300ER during the summer months,
effective June 8, 2016. Beginning
September 5, 2016, the 757-200ER will
operate on the route.
"This direct new route between New
York and Edinburgh is a
great statement of confidence from Delta both in New York and in Scotland," said Gordon
Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport. "It is further
confirmation of Edinburgh Airport's position as the leader for
connectivity from the U.S. to Scotland. I congratulate Delta for recognizing
the growing international demand for direct links to Edinburgh."
All flights from New York to
Edinburgh will be equipped with
Wi-Fi, allowing customers to stay connected at 30,000 feet, in
addition to complimentary on-demand in-flight entertainment in all
cabins. Movies and TV shows can also be downloaded to tablet and
laptop devices.
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 Main Cabin seats, as well as priority
boarding. Furthermore, Delta's flights from New York to Edinburgh feature fully flat-bed seats in the
Delta One cabin, with Westin Heavenly Inflight Bedding from Westin
Hotels & Resorts and TUMI amenity kits featuring products by
MALIN + GOETZ. Customers enjoy a range of regional dining options
in the Delta One cabin, with menu items produced using seasonal
ingredients and paired with wines selected exclusively for Delta by
Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson.
Tickets for Delta's New
York-Edinburgh service are
available through Delta Air Lines on www.delta.com. Flights are
operated in conjunction with joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic
Airways.
The schedule for the new service between New York-JFK and
Edinburgh is:
Flight
|
Departs
|
Arrives
|
DL409
|
New York-JFK at 10:45
p.m.
|
Edinburgh at 10:50
a.m. (+1 day)
|
DL209
|
Edinburgh at 1:10
p.m.
|
New York-JFK at 3:43
p.m.
|
About Delta:
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year.
In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies
in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth
time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the
Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented
five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network,
Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 324
destinations in 58 countries on six continents. Headquartered in
Atlanta, Delta employs nearly
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
trans-Atlantic 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,
Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines