Delta Welcomes Preliminary DOT Approval of New Seattle --
Tokyo-Haneda Service
ATLANTA, Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines
(NYSE: DAL) today thanked the U.S. Department of Transportation for
its preliminary approval of new service between Seattle and Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090202/DELTALOGO
)
"I want to thank the DOT for its preliminary approval of this
service, which will provide significant benefits for consumers in
the Pacific Northwest, boost the region's economy and create jobs
by further strengthening ties to Asia," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "Business travelers in
particular will benefit due to Haneda Airport's convenient access
to central Tokyo."
Seattle is the largest West
Coast city without nonstop service to Haneda, which is the
preferred Tokyo airport for many
business travelers due to its proximity to the city's central
business district. The flight would complement Delta's nonstop
flight between Seattle and
Tokyo-Narita, which will be expanded and upgraded
next year to Boeing 747-400 service.
The Haneda flight adds to Delta's growing Asian gateway in
Seattle. In addition to
Tokyo, Delta recently announced
new service to Shanghai, and also
operates flights to Beijing and
Osaka, Japan.
"Today's preliminary approval would not have been possible
without the overwhelming support we received from our partners at
the Port of Seattle and Alaska
Airlines, Washington Governor
Christine Gregoire, Senators
Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, Congressmen Adam Smith and Rick
Larsen, and numerous business, community and airport leaders
throughout the Northwest region," said Andrea Newman, Delta senior vice president –
Government Affairs.
The Haneda flight, which is scheduled to begin in March 2013, will operate using Boeing 767-300ER
aircraft featuring full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, Delta's
popular Economy Comfort seating and in-flight entertainment in
every seat throughout the aircraft.
In addition to its Asian gateway, Delta operates nonstop service
to Paris and Amsterdam from
Seattle. By next summer the
airline will operate more than 40 daily flights to 15 destinations
worldwide from Seattle.
Delta's international growth in Seattle is possible because of its partnership
with Alaska Airlines, which operates a domestic hub at
Settle-Tacoma International Airport. Customers of both carriers
enjoy access to an expanded network under a major codesharing
agreement, as well as reciprocal frequent flier benefits and
airport lounge access. The new Tokyo-Haneda flight will benefit
from easy connections to 55 U.S. cities on Delta and Alaska's domestic networks.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each
year. During the past year, Delta was named domestic "Airline of
the Year" by the readers of Travel Weekly magazine, was
named the "Top Tech-Friendly U.S. Airline" by PCWorld magazine for
its innovation in technology, won the Business Travel News Annual
Airline Survey and was the recipient of 12 Executive Travel
Magazine Leading Edge Awards for U.S. airlines. With an
industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection
carriers offer service to nearly 313 destinations in 58 countries
on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees
worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft.
A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta
participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture
with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance
partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights,
with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis,
Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK,
Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The
airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a
world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning
BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports
worldwide. Delta is investing more than $3
billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global
products, services and technology to enhance the customer
experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for
flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status
at delta.com.
SOURCE Delta Air Lines