Delta to boost New York-Carib service

Delta Air Lines announced plans on May 21 to launch new or expanded service to 10 destinations in the Caribbean and Bermuda from New York’s LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International (JFK) airports, continuing its program of service expansion in New York.

The airlines said that the new flights, which will begin in late 2012 and early 2013, are in addition to Delta Air Lines’ previously announced expansion at New York LaGuardia, where the airline is adding more than 100 new flights to 26 new destinations this summer.

When its full schedule is implemented, Delta said it will operate more than 260 daily flights between LaGuardia and more than 60 cities, exceeding any other carrier operating at the airport.

Delta said it is also optimizing its schedule at New York JFK to facilitate convenient connections to international flights. JFK is a major global gateway for Delta, which operates non-stop flights to more than 45 international destinations from the airport.

“We’re excited to be announcing new and expanded service to these popular leisure destinations at the same time we’re building our new domestic hub at LaGuardia Airport,” said Gail Grimmett, Delta’s senior vice president – New York.

“It’s another step toward achieving our goal of becoming the preferred airline in New York,” she added.

In conjunction with its expansion at New York LaGuardia, Delta said it is investing US$160 million to modernize two terminals at the airport and construct a new walkway connecting the facilities.

At JFK, Delta is currently under way on a US$1.2 billion program to enhance and expand Terminal 4, adding nine new gates and creating a state-of-the-art gateway. That facility will open in spring 2013.

Grimmett said new and expanded Delta Air Lines service to the Caribbean and Bermuda will include new daily year-round service between LaGuardia and Bermuda, with Boeing 737s; new Saturday flights between JFK and St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) with Boeing 757s; and from Dec. 15, Delta’s LaGuardia-Nassau flights will be expanded from seasonal to year-round service.

In addition, effective Dec. 15, Grimmett said Delta will increase its JFK-Montego Bay, Jamaica seasonal service from Saturday-only flights to daily service.

Grimmett also said, beginning on Dec. 15, that Delta Air Lines will increase its Saturday seasonal JFK-Aruba schedule to daily year-round service.