LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta customers
will soon gain direct access to Melbourne, Australia, following an
announcement by joint venture partner Virgin Australia of plans to
launch nonstop service between Melbourne and Los
Angeles in 2017.
The new route will strengthen the trans-Pacific network offered
by Delta and its partner in the region.
"Delta offers a truly superior network of international partners
out of Los Angeles," said
Ranjan Goswami, Delta's Vice
President - Sales, West Region. "Through our joint venture,
Delta and Virgin Australia continue to differentiate ourselves as
leading carriers in the U.S.-Australia market, from boosting our service to
key destinations to mutually investing in a best-in-class customer
experience."
Beginning April 4, 2017, Virgin
Australia will fly five times weekly between Melbourne and Los
Angeles using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.* The new flight
complements existing service offered by Delta and Virgin Australia,
who will together offer 25 weekly flights between Australia and the
United States and round-trip connectivity from 230
destinations in the Americas to 49 destinations across Australia and New
Zealand.
"The United States is a key
market for Virgin Australia, and this enables us to offer direct
services from Los Angeles to the
three largest cities in Australia
– Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney," said Virgin Australia Group CEO
John Borghetti.
Delta's premium cabin Delta One, alongside Virgin
Australia's business-class experience The Business, which launched
in June, distinguishes Delta and Virgin Australia as the only
trans-Pacific alliance to consistently offer full flat-bed seats
with direct aisle access in business class.
Delta has been the fastest-growing carrier at Los Angeles International Airport since 2009
and will embark next year on a relocation to Terminals 2 and 3 at
LAX, enabling operation alongside Virgin Australia and many of its
other airline partners. The $1.9
billion plan to upgrade and connect the complex at Terminals
2 and 3 will create a premier partner hub that offers best-in-class
check-in, faster connection times for seamless
connectivity and an industry-leading customer experience.
Delta and Virgin Australia currently fly twice-daily from
Los Angeles to Sydney and daily from Los Angeles to Brisbane.
*Subject to regulatory approvals
Melbourne – Los Angeles (beginning April 4, 2017)
VA 23 / DL 6793 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
1130
STD
0900 STA
Los Angeles –
Melbourne (beginning April 4,
2017)
VA 24/ DL 6792 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
2110 STD
0600 +2 STA
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 321
destinations in 56 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