Delta To Start Boston To London Flight; Carrier To Open New International Gateway With First International Service In June, 2001

Delta Air Lines said today it plans to start a daily nonstop flight from Boston Logan Airport to London (Gatwick) beginning June 1, 2001. Delta will operate Boeing 767-300 aircraft on this flight, featuring its award-winning BusinessElite service. The new service is subject to U.S. Department of Transportation approval.

In making the announcement, Mark Drusch, Delta’s senior vice president - network management, said, "We are pleased to begin service on the largest international market from Boston. The addition of this flight underscores Delta’s long-term commitment to growth in Boston. For the first time, Delta’s full array of services will be available to Boston travelers, including Delta Shuttle, Delta Express, BusinessElite U.S., Delta Connection codeshare flights with SkyTeam partner Air France, and now Delta’s first non-stop transatlantic service.

"Delta’s recent growth in Boston has included the addition of Delta Shuttle service to Washington National and BusinessElite U.S. service to Los Angeles. In the future, we will announce additional new services to highlight our commitment as the largest carrier in Boston," he added.

In 1999, Delta made a strategic decision to increase its presence at Boston, announcing that it will invest $386 million to upgrade and expand its terminal and increase both domestic and international flying from Boston Logan Airport.

Delta carriers more passengers to Europe than any other U.S. carrier. At the present time, Delta serves 22 cities in Europe from New York (JFK), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, and Atlanta.

Delta's goal is to become the #1 airline in the eyes of its customers, flying passengers and cargo from anywhere to everywhere. Passengers already choose to fly Delta more often than any other airline in the world on 5,244 flights each day to 339 cities in 48 countries on Delta, Delta Express, Delta Shuttle, the Delta Connection carriers, and Delta's Worldwide Partners. Delta is a founding member of SkyTeam, a global airline alliance which provides customers with extensive worldwide destinations, flights and services