ATLANTA, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines
(NYSE:DAL) today begins regularly scheduled passenger service with
nonstop daily flights from the U.S. to Cuba. Flights will depart from Miami, New York-JFK and Atlanta to Havana as the airline makes its return to the
Cuban capital for the first time in 55 years.
The airline is the only existing U.S. carrier to previously
operate passenger service until it was suspended in 1961 due to an
unstable political climate and profitability challenges. Delta was
also the last U.S. carrier to exit the Cuban market with the
suspension of its Havana to
New Orleans service.
Delta Flight 625 is scheduled to
depart Miami International Airport
at 8:59 a.m. and touch down at
Havana's José Martí International
Airport just after 10 a.m., making it
the first official regularly scheduled Delta passenger flight since
service was suspended in December 1961.
Additionally, Delta Flight 448
from New York-JFK International Airport is scheduled to arrive just
before noon and Delta's Flight 639 from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport is expected to arrive just before
1:30 p.m.
"Today marks the resumption of service to a storied travel
destination that has lacked a direct connection to the U.S. for
most of our lifetimes," said Steve
Sear, President – International and Executive Vice President
– Global Sales. "We thank the authorities and officials who allowed
us to resume passenger service and are proud of the Delta team who
worked tirelessly this past year to add that dot back to our route
maps after its absence for more than half a
century."
"We are pleased to welcome Delta Air Lines' direct route from
Atlanta to Cuba's capital, solidifying Hartsfield–Jackson
Atlanta International Airport not only as the world's busiest
airport, but also the gateway to the world," said Mayor
Kasim Reed. "I had the unique
privilege to conduct a trade mission to Cuba last year, along with several other
government and business leaders in Georgia, where we explored opportunities for
partnership in the airport management, logistics, food exports,
information technology and tourism sectors. Atlanta is well-poised to serve as an
important domestic partner to Cuba
and this route will open several business and tourism
opportunities."
Delta is among eight carriers granted authority by the
Department of Transportation to serve Havana, and it began selling flights from the
U.S. to Cuba in September. In
early November, Delta became the first U.S. airline to open a City
Ticket Office in downtown Havana
to support local tickets sales for Cubans traveling to the U.S.
Delta will offer almost 3,000 seats weekly between the U.S. and
Cuba.
Delta's Havana service from
Miami and New York links the two top cities with largest
Cuban-American population, while Atlanta represents the largest connection
point of passengers to Havana
providing more than 150 U.S. cities with one-stop access to
Cuba from the world's largest
hub.
Delta customers can count on the airline's superior operational
performance, service, products and connections to its global
network. All three U.S. markets offer Delta
Sky Clubs with upgraded food and drink options and
SkyPriority lines for faster check-in and boarding. On board,
customers will receive Delta's refreshments, free in-flight
entertainment* and Wi-Fi*.
*Availability is limited while traveling over the continental
U.S.
Delta's History in Cuba
Delta inherited passenger service to Havana, Cuba, from its merger with
Chicago and Southern Air Lines
(C&S) on May 1, 1953, offering
nonstop flights from New Orleans.
Delta suspended service on Dec. 6,
1961.
From 2002-2004 Delta operated charters between New York-JFK and
Havana. In October 2011, Delta began operating up to a dozen
charter flights to Havana per week
with daily service from Miami and
weekly service from Atlanta and
New York-JFK. It operated almost 500 trips before suspending
service on Dec. 29, 2012. Most
recently, Delta operated three ad hoc charter flights in 2015,
including one that carried the Minnesota Orchestra back to
Cuba for its first performance on
the island in more than 85 years.
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 six
consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta
and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 312 destinations
in 54 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