Delta Air Lines Celebrates 60 Years in Puerto Rico

After six decades of uninterrupted service, island is cornerstone of Delta's continued growth in Latin America and New York

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Delta Air Lines

Mar 07, 2013, 10:58 ET

SAO PAULO and SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) celebrates its 60^th anniversary of uninterrupted service in Puerto Rico, highlighting the key role the island plays in the continued growth and development of the company's Latin American network and in the New York market.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090202/DELTALOGO )

"Delta is part of Puerto Rico and its history," said Nicolas Ferri, Delta's vice president— Latin America and the Caribbean. "Our commitment to the economic development of the island has withstood the test of time and we continue to respond and adapt to Puerto Ricans' travel needs as well as to the demands of the business and tourism sectors with increased services and capacity to this key market."

Ferri said Delta's commitment to Puerto Rico is as strong as ever as the airline works to become the best airline in Latin America and the Caribbean. Puerto Rico also plays a vital role in Delta's success in the New York market, home to nearly 900,000 people of Puerto Rican descent, a full 27 percent of the Latino population living there.

"It is crucial that we meet the travel needs of Puerto Ricans both in the mainland and in the island both for business as well as leisure," said Gail Grimmett, Delta's senior vice president — New York and guest speaker at the anniversary celebration. "Because Puerto Rico is crucial to New York's success we are diligently working to meet our customers' expectations by offering increased connectivity, enhanced on-board services and state-of-the-art technology applied to travel."

In May 2012, Delta tripled the number of flights it operates between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and San Juan. This summer, a fourth daily flight between JFK and San Juan will further expand options for Delta's customers. In May, customers will enjoy the benefits of the $1.4 billion expansion and enhancement of Terminal 4 at JFK. The new terminal will provide increased international access to customers from Puerto Rico traveling to New York and will offer a state of the art facility to those traveling to the island.

Delta's expanded San Juan-JFK service means increased connectivity to New York and 31 international destinations.

Delta also connects Puerto Rico to its Atlanta hub with 21 to 35 weekly frequencies depending on seasonality. From Atlanta, Puerto Ricans have access to the more than 1,000 daily flights to 208 destinations that Delta operates, including nonstop service to 65 international destinations.

Delta hosted its anniversary celebration at the Ritz Carlton Isla Verde hotel to share this milestone with its local Governmental authorities, high-value customers, travel agents and other members of the local travel industry. Delta recognized travel agencies with top sales in 2012 during the event.

"Delta has been part of the life of Puerto Ricans since 1953. Our planes have transported intellectuals, politicians, musicians, artists, sports figures, tourists and the business people that fuel the Island's economic development," said James Sarvis, Delta's Vice President of Airport Customer Service, Stations. "We are proud of being here for hundreds of thousands of Puerto Rican families who trust Delta to bring them to their business and pleasure destinations."

Six decades ago Delta started services to Puerto Rico on Jan. 10, 1953, when a Lockheed Constellation plane took off from Memphis bound for San Juan.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta is working to become the best U.S. carrier in Latin America and the Caribbean. As part of that goal Delta has established a long-term exclusive alliance with GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes investing more than US $100 million in GOL. Likewise, Delta has invested more than US $65 million in Aeromexico as part of a long-term exclusive commercial alliance and entered a code sharing agreement with Aerolíneas Argentinas solidifying its footprint in Latin America. Executive Travel magazine recognized Delta with the Gold Leading Edge Award for the Best Flight Experience to Mexico. Delta provides service to 32 countries and 49 destinations in the region offering more than 1,000 weekly flights between Latin America and the U.S. Spanish speaking Delta customers can receive real-time, on-the-go travel assistance in Spanish and Portuguese through its Twitter channels @DeltaAssist_ES and @DeltaAjuda 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. Brazilian customers can also access Delta's dedicated Brazil Facebook page visiting http://www.facebook.com/DeltaAirLinesBrasil.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. Delta was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2013 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list, topping the list for the second time in three years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 319 destinations in 59 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. Delta is investing more than $3 billion in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta and Facebook.com/delta.