With travel inquiries and bookings on the rise amid COVID-19 vaccine rollouts; with the Biden Administration predicting that vaccines will be available to most of the population by May; and following an entire year of frustration fueled by lockdowns and restrictions, airlines are positioning themselves to attract returning customers on the assumption that travel will restart in time for summer.
In preparation for the upcoming summer season, Delta Air Lines today announced some major adjustments to its network, increasing connectivity to top outdoorsy leisure destinations through nine brand-new routes and by adding nonstop service on over 20 popular existing routes.
Such outdoor-centric destinations (which it’s forecast will remain popular even beyond social distancing imperatives) include mountain and beach towns, national parks and forests, and even island escapes.
National Parks and Forests
In the western half of the U.S., Delta is expanding its service to the immediate vicinity of nearly every major national park, as The Points Guy initially noted.
Four new or resumptive routes will operate between Bozeman—a major gateway to Yellowstone National Park—and Delta’s hubs in New York-JFK, Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA) and Detroit (DTW).
These will complement existing nonstop service from Atlanta (ATL), Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) and Salt Lake City (SLC), together providing easy access to Bozeman and Yellowstone from anywhere in the U.S. New and reactivated routes will also deliver flyers on the respective doorsteps of Glacier, Grand Teton and Yosemite National Parks; and Black Hills and Tahoe National Forests.
—Beginning in late May, Delta will connect Kalispell, Montana (FCA) (the nearest airport to Glacier) with Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA) and Atlanta (ATL).
—Jackson Hole, Wyoming (JAC), near Grand Teton National Park, will be served by five different airports this summer.
—Travelers trying to reach Yosemite will appreciate Delta’s new service running between Seattle and Fresno, California (FAT), Saturdays only.
—Near Black Hills National Forest, Rapid City, South Dakota (RAP) will connect to both Atlanta (ATL) and Detroit (DTW).
—Adjacent to Tahoe National Forest, Reno-Tahoe Airport (RNO) in Nevada gets a new connection to Delta’s Seattle (SEA) hub.
| Status | Origin | Destination | Frequency | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEW | Bozeman, Montana (BZN) | New York (JFK) | 3x weekly Increasing to daily | May 7 May 28 |
| NEW | Kalispell, Montana (FCA) | Seattle (SEA) | Weekends only | May 29 |
| NEW | Jackson Hole (JAC) | Detroit (DTW) | Saturdays only | May 29 |
| NEW | Fresno (FAT) | Seattle (SEA) | Saturdays only | May 29 |
| NEW | Reno-Tahoe (RNO) | Seattle (SEA) | Weekends only | May 8 |
Eastern Seaboard
The Atlanta-based carrier is also augmenting its service along the East Coast, adding more nonstop flights to better connect customers to seven premier summer vacation spots.
—New weekend service from Boston (BOS) to South Carolina’s Hilton Head (HHH) and Myrtle Beach (MYR) will begin May 8, complementing existing daily service from Atlanta (ATL) and New York-LaGuardia (LGA).
—In early May, Delta will also restart previous routes connecting Wilmington, North Carolina (ILM) with New York-LaGuardia (LGA); Asheville, North Carolina (AVL) with LGA; Norfolk, Virginia (ORF) with Boston (BOS); and Savannah, Georgia (SAV) with BOS.
—The airline will introduce new Saturday-only service from Traverse City, Michigan (TVC) to BOS launching May 29. That’s in addition to daily flights from ATL starting the same day, and seasonal service from LGA and Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) beginning May 5.
—A pair of popular New England retreats, Nantucket (ACK) and Martha’s Vineyard (MVY), will also see increased service from New York’s LGA and JFK airports.
More Caribbean Connections
Demand for international leisure travel remains largely focused on the Caribbean and Latin America at the moment. Therefore, Delta will be restarting service to four additional warm-weather beach destinations for the summer.
On June 5 will commence:
—Service to Grand Cayman Islands (GCM), with daily flights from ATL and Saturday-only flights from JFK.
—Saturday service from ATL and JFK to St. Kitts (SKB)
—Twice-weekly service from ATL to Roatan Island (RTB)
—Twice-weekly service from ATL to Bonaire (BON)
For more information, visit delta.com.
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