Delta Air Lines Ups Capacity To France After Country Reopens

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There is more good news for leisure travelers thinking about a trip to France. As the country opens up to vaccinated Americans starting on June 9th, Delta Air Lines is laying on more flights to Paris and adding Nice back to its network. France becomes the sixth European destination to reopen for Americans.

Delta Boeing 767-400Er
Delta is bringing back more flights to Europe with the return of Nice services and expanded options to Paris. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Delta adds more flights to France

Delta currently offers the following services to France:

  • One daily Airbus A350-900 operated flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
  • One daily Airbus A330-300 operated flight from ATL to CDG
  • Three-times-weekly service from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) to CDG onboard a Boeing 767-300ER
  • Daily service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to CDG onboard an Airbus A330-300

Those frequencies will hold, but Delta will expand with the following additional services to Paris:

  • Three-times-weekly Airbus A330-300 operated service from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to CDG starts on July 7th
  • Daily Airbus A330-300 operated service from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to CDG starts on August 5th
Delta Airbus A330-300
Delta will primarily fly the Airbus A330 to Paris this summer. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Then, Delta will be returning to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) starting on July 8th. Using a Boeing 767-400ER, Delta will service the city from its New York-JFK hub three times per week.

These flights are in addition to Air France-operated flights to the US. Air France also operates flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, New York City, Detroit, Boston, Minneapolis, Washington D.C., Miami, and Atlanta. Flights to Denver are also expected to begin this July.

Delta Airbus A330-300
Delta will fly from five airports in the US to France this summer. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

France reopening for Americans

France will open up for leisure travel starting on June 9th without quarantine requirements. Passengers must be vaccinated. In order to enter the country, Americans will need to show proof of a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency.

Americans who have received the Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson vaccine are eligible to visit France. The AstraZeneca vaccine also qualifies for entry.

Note that passengers will need to present a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival along with proof of vaccination. It must be taken less than 72 hours before departure for a PCR test or less than 48 hours for an antigen test.

A limited slate of flights

Pre-crisis Delta flew more capacity to Paris than it will be offering this summer. First and foremost, the airline will only serve Paris from two of its core hubs (Detroit and Minneapolis) with three weekly flights each.

Air France
Air France will fly from more US destinations to Paris this summer than Delta. Passengers can earn Delta miles and rack up status qualifying requirements when flying with Air France. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Both cities will also see operations with Air France, though with still limited operations. Even more, Delta’s Salt Lake City hub will see no flights to Paris until the fall, and nonstop service to Seattle does not return until September.

Paris-CDG is Air France’s largest hub. Passengers can connect onwards to points in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. Delta traditionally operates heavy schedules to the city.

In light of the ongoing crisis, Delta has also taken a different approach with its route network. The airline has focused its growth around countries in Europe that have reopened. After Iceland, Greece, Croatia, Italy, and Spain announced reopenings, Delta added more flights to those destinations.

Delta Boeing 767-300ER
Delta has shown a willingness to expand to new markets that open up for Americans. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

At this point, however, it is getting relatively late in the international booking curve. Passengers are starting to look at trips from late July-onwards, which is why Delta is only bringing back some of these flights later this year.

This is not out of line with Delta’s strategy. The carrier has previously indicated that it expects the fall to be a good one for European travel. If current schedules hold, there will be more capacity to France from mid-August onwards on Delta and its partners than at the start of July.

Delta states that it will continue to monitor reopenings in Europe and add capacity to the continent as travel returns. However, passengers should be advised that the situation may change in the future, and entry requirements could be relaxed or strengthened.

Are you going to fly Delta or Air France to Paris this summer? Let us know in the comments!



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