ATLANTA, March 23, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines
(NYSE: DAL) will offer a new daily nonstop flight between New
York-JFK (JFK) and Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, beginning Dec. 21,
2017, subject to U.S. Department of Transportation approval.
The airline's strategic alliance with GOL Linhas Aereas
Inteligentes will extend the reach of this service to 23
destinations within Brazil and
provides seamless connections at Antonio Carlos Jobim International
Airport (GIG) in Rio de
Janeiro.
"We listen to our customers and continuously strive to offer
them increasingly convenient ways to travel, both for business and
leisure," said Luciano Macagno,
Delta's Director-Brazil. "It is exciting to have the opportunity to
offer a daily direct flight from Rio de
Janeiro to our second-largest international hub at New
York-JFK. Delta's continued route expansions demonstrate our
commitment to the Brazilian market and the strength of our alliance
with our Brazilian partner, GOL."
Delta's proposed schedule between JFK and GIG is as follows:
Flight
Number
|
Departs
|
Arrives
|
Frequency
|
Effective
|
DL 479
|
New York-JFK (JFK)
at
9:24 p.m.
|
Rio de Janeiro (GIG)
at
10:30 a.m.
|
Daily
|
Dec. 21,
2017
|
DL 478
|
Rio de Janeiro (GIG)
at
10:15 p.m.
|
New York-JFK (JFK)
at
5:36 a.m.
|
Daily
|
Dec. 22,
2017
|
The GIG-JFK route will be operated using a Boeing 767-300
aircraft. The 767-300 has 35 Delta One full flat-bed seats with
direct aisle access for every passenger. The aircraft also has
oversized personal entertainment screens, allowing travelers to
increase productivity, get more rest, as well as experience the
on-demand in-flight entertainment system. Delta customers flying on
Delta One will also enjoy industry-leading food with Latin-inspired
meal selections by Chef Michelle
Bernstein, paired with elegant wines chosen by master
sommelier Andrea Robinson.
The 210-passenger aircraft also includes 32 Delta Comfort+ seats
and 143 seats in the Main Cabin. Delta's latest improvements
include the introduction of new sleep kits and several other
upgraded amenities for passengers seated in the Main Cabin on
flights to and from Brazil.
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 Delta's standard international Main
Cabin seats; free beer, wine, snacks; and priority boarding. Other
product initiatives being rolled out across Delta's international
fleet include the expansion of its Wi-Fi service.
Elite customers and passengers flying in Delta One through New
York-JFK and Rio de Janeiro-GIG will also enjoy a premium airport
experience at the 24,000 square-foot flagship Delta Sky Club
in JFK's Terminal 4, the biggest club in Delta's system, and a
recently opened GOL VIP lounge located in GIG's Terminal 2.
Once approved, these flights will be available for booking
through www.delta.com. Customers may also access Delta's Twitter
channel in English at @Delta and in Portuguese at @DeltaAjuda, for
real-time support before, during and after travel.
About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines is working to be
the best U.S. airline in Latin
America and the Caribbean. It has been honored with
five World Travel Awards in 2016 in the categories of North America's Leading Airline and Leading
U.S. Airline to Central America,
to South America, to Caribbean and to Mexico for the second year in a row. Delta has
been also recognized with LADEVI's 2016 Insignia Latam Excellence
award for its service to the region. Delta continues to grow in
Latin America through its
long-term exclusive alliances with GOL Linhas Aéreas
Inteligentes, Aeroméxico and Aerolíneas Argentinas, and
is committed to building a solid regional footprint to enhance its
global network and offer its customers the best overall
experience. Delta provides service to 33 countries and 55
destinations in the region, offering over 1,900 weekly flights
between the U.S. and Latin
America/the Caribbean.
Delta customers can also receive real-time, on-the-go travel
assistance in Spanish and Portuguese through Twitter channels
@DeltaAssist_ES and @DeltaAjuda from 9 a.m.
to 7 p.m. EST. Brazilian customers can also access Delta's
dedicated Brazilian Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/DeltaAirLinesBrasil.
Delta Air Lines serves more than 180 million customers each
year. In 2017, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired
Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for
the sixth time in seven 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 323 destinations in 57 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