Delta Air Lines Adds First-Ever Nonstop Service to New Zealand
by Daniel McCarthy
A Delta plane at LAX. Photographer: Chris Rank, Rank Studios
Delta Air Lines is continuing to boost its international offerings.
On Friday, Delta announced that it is adding a nonstop from Los Angeles International Airport to Auckland Airport starting on Oct. 28, becoming the first U.S. airline to offer direct service between the two cities.
Delta will operate the service on an Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
At the same time, Delta announced a number of other additions.
On Friday, it said that it was also adding a third daily route between New York-JFK and Paris Charles de Gaulle. That addition will start on May 25 and operate on a Boeing 767 aircraft.
It also announced new daily service from Atlanta to Nice, France, starting on May 12. That service, which will also operate on a Boeing 767, will be the first time Delta connected the two cities in over a decade.
Lastly, Delta is upping its service between Atlanta and Tel Aviv to daily starting on April 16. That will mark Delta’s busiest schedule to Tel Aviv ever, with flights departing from three U.S. cities—Atlanta, New York, and Boston.
“With more than 1,750 weekly flights to 85 destinations around the globe this summer, Delta is well positioned to deliver on its plans to fully restore its network in 2023,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s S.V.P. – Network Planning.
“With brand-new flights this year to cities like Auckland, Geneva, and London-Gatwick, we’re giving customers more options to enjoy the premium experience and elevated hospitality they have come to know and expect from us.”
It is shaping up to be a big 2023 for Delta. The carrier, aside from these new routes, has also announced two major changes to its inflight services. The first is that it is bringing back the dessert cart on some of its flights.
The second is that Delta Air Lines will offer free Wi-Fi to its passengers starting on Feb. 1. Initially, free Wi-Fi will only be available on planes that are capable of providing it, which accounts for nearly 80% of its domestic fleet (those that are equipped with Viasat). Delta will then work to make it available across its full fleet, with the goal of doing so by the end of 2024 for all domestic, international, and regional flights.
