Delta Ramps Up As New York Re-opens

New York is back and so is New York’s No. 1 airline

Come July, Delta will ramp up to 300 daily flights from its NYC hubs
to nearly 100 domestic and international destinations

It’s been more than a year since COVID-19 brought New York City to a halt. Now, with vaccination rates on the rise and capacity restrictions for most public gathering spots lifting on May 19, the Big Apple is taking major steps toward recovery – and no airline is more ready than Delta to welcome customers back. Beginning this summer, the airline will operate more than 300 total daily departures from its hubs at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) – more than any other airline*. 

“From providing essential service for healthcare workers with a handful of flights at the peak of the pandemic to serving more customers in the weeks and months ahead, Delta and its 9,000-plus New York-based employees have long been part of the fabric of the New York community,” said Henry Kuykendall, S.V.P. – Airport Operations, East. “The challenges we experienced over the past year only deepened our connection and commitment to this dynamic and resilient city where we live, work and serve. Delta people have been and continue to be with New York every step of the way. Whether they’re coming to enjoy all that the city has to offer or connecting across our global network, customers can rely on Delta to help reclaim their lives.”

Delta’s domestic and international schedule at New York-JFK has rebounded significantly in 2021, with reinstated service to seven domestic markets including Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas/Ft., Worth, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Indianapolis, Ind.; and Washington-Dulles, Va., all resuming within the past month. The airline also restarted flights from JFK to Iceland’s Keflavik International Airport on May 1.

Following the recent lift of entry restrictions into Italy, Delta will operate COVID-tested flights from JFK daily to Milan; three times per week to Rome, increasing to daily July 1; and daily to Venice beginning July 2. Daily nonstop flights to Athens, Greece, will resume May 28, and new nonstop service four times per week from JFK to Dubrovnik, Croatia, will begin July 2 for fully vaccinated travelers or customers who meet testing requirements. This is the first time Delta will operate flights to Croatia.

At New York-LGA, Delta will be the first airline to reinstate service to a number of key business markets including recently added Louisville, Ky. and Milwaukee, Wis. and growing to include Greensboro, N.C., Greenville, S.C., Omaha, Neb., and Birmingham, Ala. in June. New twice-daily flights to Toronto, Canada, will commence Aug. 5, with plans to boost to six times per day this fall as travel restrictions lift and transborder demand returns. 

“After a very difficult year, New Yorkers are looking to make up for lost time and more eager than ever to reconnect with friends and family,” said Chuck Imhof, V.P. – Sales, East. “And Delta couldn’t be more ready to welcome back customers just in time for summer travel. We have been working hard to elevate all aspects of the travel experience, including maintaining rigorous cleaning standards, introducing new onboard snack and beverage options, and working quickly on improved airport facilities. Providing our customers with a safe and seamless journey every step of the way will remain Delta’s top priority.” 

The future of travel through NYC

While the pandemic may have slowed travel, Delta’s work on major infrastructure projects in New York and elsewhere around the U.S. has sped up. At New York-LGA, construction on Delta’s brand-new, state-of-the-art terminal has progressed so quickly that the new arrivals and departures hall, the new roadway network and the second concourse will now open to customers next spring, followed by half of the third concourse next summer. This acceleration will now see the entire four-concourse terminal fully complete by the end of 2024, eighteen months earlier than originally planned.  

“We have been able to take advantage of the downturn in passenger volume and flight activity to capture additional real estate and advance our LGA construction more quickly, as we have at most of our hub airport projects across the country,” said Ryan Marzullo, Managing Director – NY Corporate Real Estate. “Our priority when we’re constructing these new terminal facilities is to protect our operation, our customers and our employees, while building as efficiently and quickly as possible.”

A reimagined JFK is not far behind, as Delta recently agreed to revised plans with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and JFK International Air Terminal, the operator of JFK Terminal 4, to expand Terminal 4 and consolidate Delta’s operations there – a key step in the transformation of Delta’s global gateway at that airport.

More ways Delta is taking care of you

Delta continues to put the health and safety of customers first, with those efforts recently awarded by the prestigious J.D. Power 2021 North America Airline Satisfaction Study as the No. 1 airline for 2021. 

The Delta CareStandard commitment continues to put health and safety at the center of everything we do. Masks will continue to be required, and rigorous cleaning standards remain in place. 

Delta’s new Travel Planning Center, which includes an interactive map to search by price or destination type, is a one-stop guide to manage travel restrictions, testing requirements and everything else along the journey. 

Each flight counts for more with industry-first Status accelerators – SkyMiles Members can earn more toward Medallion status on nearly every Delta flight, including award travel. Read more.

Delta recently reinstated several snack and beverage options and announced that First Class customers on key U.S. routes will enjoy fresh boxed meals starting mid-July. As more customers return to travel, Delta teams are hard at work to ramp up our catering operations and provide customers with the best service delivery possible. 

Customers have more flexibility than ever to plan and rebook their trips with an industry-leading travel credit extension for all tickets expiring in 2021 and all tickets purchased in 2021 through Dec. 31, 2022. 

*Based on May and June 2021 flights scheduled to depart JFK, LGA, and EWR, including flights operated by regional carriers.