Delta to Fly Boeing 717s on West Coast Shuttle

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Feb 02, 2015, 10:00 ET

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) will introduce Boeing 717 aircraft on eight of the 15 daily flights between Los Angeles International and San Francisco International airports in June, offering 40 percent more seats on its hourly nonstop Delta Shuttle.

"Our Delta Shuttle on the West Coast is designed to connect Silicon Beach to Silicon Valley and make doing business between Los Angeles and San Francisco easier, more enjoyable and more productive," said Ranjan Goswami, Delta's vice president of Sales – West. "As we continue to grow in Los Angeles, upgrading to fuel-efficient 717s on a majority of our daily Shuttle flights is a logical next step in strengthening our position in this important market."

Delta launched its hourly nonstop Delta Shuttle product from Los Angeles to San Francisco in September 2013, adding a California perspective to its long relied-upon New York-based Shuttle. The mainline 717s seat 110 passengers and offer access to power from every seat. The remaining seven daily West Coast Shuttle flights will continue to be operated by Delta Connection partner Compass Airlines using 76-seat Embraer E175 aircraft. All Shuttle flights offer access to First Class and Economy Comfort seating and feature Wi-Fi service, as does nearly every domestic Delta flight out of Los Angeles.

In December, Delta introduced regional craft beers to bring local options to customers on domestic flights. Delta's West Coast Shuttle features beers from Lagunitas Brewing Company (Petaluma, Calif.) and Stone Brewing Company (Escondido, Calif.). Customers flying the Delta Shuttle between Los Angeles and San Francisco also enjoy:

Check-in as close as 30 minutes prior to departure
Dedicated check-in counters exclusively for Shuttle customers
Gates located near security
Complimentary newspapers
Complimentary onboard snacks provided by Luvo, a California-based lifestyle food brand, offering great-tasting, good-for-you food
Complimentary beverages in-flight, including craft beer and wine in all classes of service

The 717 upgrade on the West Coast Shuttle is the latest in a series of investments in Los Angeles by the airline. Last month, Delta announced plans to begin daily nonstop service to Shanghai in July. Pending foreign government approval, seasonal service from Los Angeles to Managua, Nicaragua, will also begin this summer. These new routes build on Delta's expansion in both international and domestic service from Los Angeles in recent months, including London-Heathrow in October; Dallas* and Austin, Texas* in November; and Vancouver, Canada* in December.

*Flight operated by Delta Connection carrier Compass Airlines

From Los Angeles, Delta currently operates 154 peak-day departures to 48 destinations. At the airport, travelers passing through Los Angeles continue to enjoy the benefits of the $229 million expansion and enhancement of Terminal 5 at LAX, scheduled for completion in May 2015. Once onboard, Delta supports and markets the music of emerging artists and short-form content creators through exclusive partnerships that provide in-flight content for customers, who can now enjoy free entertainment from every seat out of Los Angeles through the new Delta Studio product.

About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves more than 170 million customers each year. Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for four consecutive years, a first for any airline. Additionally, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 327 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 as well as a newly formed 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, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, 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, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.