21 October 2009

Delta to resume Manchester-New York

Daily flights between Manchester and New York are to be resumed by Delta Air Lines for next summer.

The service to John F. Kennedy Airport will be relaunched on May 2, 2010 following a temporary winter suspension from January 7.

The Manchester to New York service is operated in co-operation with joint venture partner Air France KLM, which codeshares on the route.

The service will be operated using a 170-seat Boeing 757-200 and complements Delta’s year-round daily frequency between Manchester and Atlanta.

The announcement is part of a series of schedule enhancements designed to strengthen Delta’s international network for summer 2010, including the re-instatement of service on 16 non-stop transatlantic routes, fuelled by the carrier’s growing joint venture with Air France KLM throughout Europe.

The US airline’s UK and Ireland regional sales director Armin Venencie said: "Manchester is an important market for Delta.

"We are committed to this city and will be operating two daily services during the busy holiday periods."

Bruno Matheu, executive vice president marketing, revenue management and network for Air France-KLM, said: "By optimizing the use of our pooled resources, this joint venture helps us weather the current economic situation and protect our product offering."

Delta has grown from approximately 45 daily flights between the US and Europe in summer 2005 to more than 100 daily flights scheduled by the Delta-Air France KLM joint venture for next summer.

Each route allows the three airlines to share costs and revenues equally and market the service to a broader base of customers.

by Phil Davies