Delta Files to Serve Havana, Cuba from Four U.S. Cities

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Mar 02, 2016, 05:01 ET

ATLANTA, March 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) filed an application with the U.S. government to provide non-stop service to Cuba from four key cities in the United States. Delta seeks approval to serve Havana with daily flights from its hubs in Atlanta and New York's JFK International Airport as well as from Miami and Orlando.

"This is a historic moment for Delta as we seek to provide unparalleled access between the U.S. and Cuba," said Bob Cortelyou, Senior Vice President—Network & Schedule Planning. "Delta's proposed service to Havana from New York, Atlanta, Miami and Orlando will provide customers with convenient travel options to the Cuban capitol."

Delta would serve the flights from Atlanta and JFK with the Boeing 757-200, and Miami and Orlando with the Boeing 737-800.

"We look forward to providing access to the island from the U.S. and around the world," said Nicolas Ferri, Delta's Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean. "If approved, these frequencies would increase the strength of our network, advancing Delta's goal to be the best U.S. airline in Latin America and the Caribbean."

The United States government last month signed an arrangement with Cuba to resume scheduled commercial air service between the countries. Today is the deadline for North American carriers to apply with the U.S. for rights to serve routes between the countries.

Service to Cuba is expected to resume this year, allowing designated U.S. carriers to operate a total of 20 daily round-trip flights between the U.S. and Havana and 10 daily round-trip flights to nine other Cuban cities with international airports.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 327 destinations in 57 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 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 as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.