Delta Air Lines announced today that it plans to add around 100 more daily flights in June versus May 2020, reported coronavirus-delta-air-idUSKBN22U209″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>Reuters. Several major routes will resume that were previously suspended due to the coronavirus-outbreak” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting drop in demand for passenger air travel, mainly flying out of Atlanta, New York and between hubs.
Delta routes being reactivated for June include not only U.S. domestic destinations but also flights to Canada; Central, South and Latin America and the Caribbean; and even some Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific in anticipation of (and dependent upon) foreign governments’ forthcoming relaxation of travel restrictions.
Next month’s schedule is, nonetheless, significantly reduced in comparison to June 2019, and Delta’s overall second-quarter schedule is expected to demonstrate an 85-percent reduction compared to last year, reported coronavirus-delta-air-idUSKBN22U209″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>Reuters.
That number is comprised of an 80-percent cutback in U.S. domestic capacity and a 90-percent reduction in international capacity.
While Delta continues to provide connectivity to all U.S. hubs and top markets, frequency of service is still significantly scaled-back, and operations in markets served by multiple airports have been temporarily consolidated to a single location.
Perhaps of particular interest at this time is service scheduled to the Caribbean, though the frequency of flights will vary by destination. Included in its planned June 2020 schedule are routes to Aruba, Bahamas, Bermuda, Bonaire, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Turks and Caicos.
In Mexico, flights are scheduled to Cancun, Los Cabos, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta. Central and South American destinations slated for service include select cities within Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama.
Trans-Atlantic routes look to include, in Europe, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, London; as well as Tel Aviv and Lagos. Trans-Pacific routes are tentatively bound for Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo, subject to foreign-government approval.
The full listing of new Delta routes scheduled for June can be found here, as part of its official statement. Delta noted that its summer schedule will continue to be shaped, not only by customer demand but also by government-imposed travel restrictions and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations surrounding the ongoing health crisis.
The airline stated that it’s continuously evaluating such factors in order to formulate the remainder of its summer service and will make adjustments as needed in light of air-travel market fluctuations.
