Delta Receives Final Chinese Government Approval to Begin Nonstop Flights between Seattle, Beijing

SEATTLE, May 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today announced it has received final Chinese government approval to launch nonstop flights between Seattle and Beijing, beginning June 4. The new route, which will operate five times weekly, will connect customers from destinations throughout Delta's and codeshare partner Alaska Air Group's network to the Chinese capital via convenient connections at Alaska's Seattle hub.

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Departure and arrival times have been revised from the initial announcement of the route based on the slot times granted at Beijing's Capital International Airport.  Flights will operate as follows:

With the revised flight times, customers will continue to have full connecting options at the Seattle gateway to and from 67 nonstop destinations offered by Delta, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air.  Delta and Alaska offer customers reciprocal codeshare, lounge and frequent flyer benefits to make it easier to connect between the airlines' domestic and international networks at Seattle.

Delta's revised Seattle-Beijing schedule will be updated in all ticketing channels, including delta.com, on Saturday, May 22.  Ticketed customers with full contact information available in their reservations will be notified by Delta of any changes to their connecting flight times beginning Saturday.

The new Seattle-Beijing route is one of two new Asian flights launching from Seattle this summer as Delta continues to position the city as a key gateway to Asia.  A new nonstop flight between Seattle and Osaka, Japan launches June 7.  Both flights complement existing daily service from Seattle to Delta's hub at Tokyo-Narita, which offers Seattle customers one-stop connections to 12 destinations throughout Asia.

In conjunction with the new service to Seattle, Delta also will make minor adjustments to the 8:55 a.m. departure time of its existing daily flight from Beijing to Tokyo-Narita. Beginning June 6, Delta Flight 634 will depart Beijing at 6:55 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday; and will remain unchanged at 8:55 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

Flights from Seattle to Beijing; Seattle to Osaka; and Beijing to Tokyo-Narita will be operated with 216-seat Boeing 767-300ER aircraft featuring 35 seats in BusinessElite and 181 seats in Economy.  

At Seattle, Delta continues to invest in its products and services, including constructing a new Sky Club to open later this year and reintroducing roving customer service agents known as "Red Coats."  With its summer 2010 schedule, Delta will offer Seattle customers the choice of 40 peak-day departures to 12 domestic and international destinations.

A portion of travel for some itineraries may be on Delta Connection carriers Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Chautauqua, Comair, Compass Airlines, Freedom Airlines, Mesaba, Pinnacle Airlines, Shuttle America and SkyWest.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With its unsurpassed global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 358 destinations in 66 countries on six continents. Delta employs more than 70,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of nearly 800 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France KLM. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world's largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 45 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines

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