Delta Air Lines has filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation so as to add additional nonstop flights between Sao Paulo and the important thing business markets of recent York and Atlanta, increasing competition on air service between the U.S. and Brazil.
If approved, Delta will begin second daily Sao Paulo flights to both Atlanta and Ny in 2013.
“Delta has a robust commitment to the Latin American market and we wish to increase options of travel to and from Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest and most crucial marketplace for business travelers,” said Nicolas Ferri, Delta’s vice president— Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Our expanded service means more options for purchasers flying between these key business markets, and new flights to our hub in Atlanta mean greater access to our industry-leading domestic network.” Ferri added.
From Atlanta, Delta can conveniently connect Sao Paulo to greater than 150 cities around the U.S. with greater than 1,000 peak-day departures. Delta also offers more access to 24 destinations in Brazil which represent 99 percent of domestic demand points- greater than the other U.S. airline – because of its strategic alliance with GOL Linhas aereas inteligentes.
Delta currently operates 35 nonstop weekly flights between Brazil and the U.S. including Atlanta, Detroit and Long island-JFK to Sao Paulo, in addition to from Atlanta to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia.
Delta’s proposed addition of a second daily flight between Sao Paulo and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York’s marks another important step in Delta’s plan to take a position and grow at Big apple. The brand new flight will operate out of the expanded and enhanced state-of the-art International Terminal 4, which opens its doors in 90 days amid a $1.4 billion million terminal expansion project.
In its filing, Delta also requested approval to continue its daily nonstop service between its hub in Detroit and Sao Paulo. Delta’s right to function that flight will transfer to US Airways in 2015 as a part of a previously approved slot transaction that allowed Delta to expand at LaGuardia Airport in Big apple.
This is the primary time in additional than a decade that the dept of Transportation has the chance to allocate new Sao Paulo frequencies. These opportunities arise as direct results of the U.S. government’s success in negotiating a brand new air service agreement with Brazil, that is expected to lead to an entire Open Skies agreement by 2015.
“The new frequencies may help to advance tourism and commercial interests for both Brazil and the U.S. by creating jobs and boosting local economies,” said Andrea Fischer Newman, senior vp — Government Affairs. “It is important that the DOT grants these frequencies to Delta because it helps to level the playing field among airlines servicing Brazil.”
The new frequencies could be served with Delta’s 767-300ER equipped with state-of-the-art flatbed seats, video on demand entertainment system, and award-winning food and wine service, Ferri said. The 767 has a capacity of 210 passengers, 35 Business Elite, 32 Economy Comfort and 143 economy class seats.