Delta Air Lines Bets Big On Europe For Summer 2022

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As the US reopens for travelers from Europe, Delta is celebrating with an expanded 2022 transatlantic flight schedule. The airline plans to offer one of its largest transatlantic schedules in recent history and return service to many more markets while standardizing its product offerings. Most of Delta’s flights to Europe will be up and running at increased capacity from May, but two routes from key non-hub cities will resume in August.

Delta A330-300
Delta Air Lines is betting big on expanded service to Europe next summer. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

More transatlantic flights from New York and Boston

Delta Air Lines will be restoring more routes in 2022 to Europe. From New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Delta will operate up to 29 daily flights to 23 transatlantic markets next year, including restarting services to:

  • Zurich (ZRH) from February 6th using a Boeing 767-400ER [daily flights]
  • Brussels (BRU) from March 26th using a Boeing 767-300ER [five flights per week]
  • Edinburgh (EDI) from May 1st using a Boeing 767-300ER [five flights per week]
  • Copenhagen (CPH) from May 26th using a Boeing 767-300ER [five flights per week]
  • Prague (PRG) from May 26th using a Boeing 767-300ER [daily flights]

Delta will also be growing flights from New York to other destinations. Amsterdam (AMS), London (LHR), Milan (MXP), and Rome (FCO) will all operate with two daily flights in summer 2022. Nonstop service to Frankfurt (FRA) will resume on December 13th and operate daily in summer 2022. Lastly, Dublin (DUB) will see service upgraded to an Airbus A330-300, while Lisbon (LIS) will see the Boeing 767-300ER operate

Delta Air Lines Bets Big On Europe For Summer 2022
Delta’s transatlantic schedule out of JFK next year. Photo: Cirium

Amsterdam will see one daily Airbus A330-300 and one daily Airbus A330-200. London will see all-Boeing 767-400ER service. Milan will get one daily Boeing 767-300ER and one daily Airbus A330-300. Rome will get twice-daily Airbus A330-300 service. Next year, Frankfurt will operate entirely with an Airbus A330-200.

Delta Air Lines Bets Big On Europe For Summer 2022
The Airbus A330 family is a transatlantic workhorse for Delta. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Boston is Delta’s newest hub. From Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Delta will operate up to 10 daily flights to nine transatlantic destinations – including two new ones. This includes:

  • New three-times-weekly service to Athens (ATH) using an Airbus A330-300, launching on May 27th
  • New three-times-weekly service to Tel Aviv (TLV) using an Airbus A330-900neo, launching on May 26th
  • Resumption of five-times-per-week service to Edinburgh (EDI) from May 27th using a Boeing 767-300ER
  • Daily service to Rome (FCO) resumes on May 1st using an Airbus A330-300

Separately, Amsterdam (AMS), Dublin (DUB), and Paris (CDG) will all operate using the Airbus A330-300. Lisbon (LIS) will get a Boeing 767-300ER. Delta will ramp up to daily Boeing 767-400ER service to London from BOS.

Delta Air Lines Bets Big On Europe For Summer 2022
Delta will be the largest US airline to fly across the Atlantic from Boston next year. Photo: Cirium

Expanding from Atlanta

Atlanta will get up to 18 daily flights from Atlanta to 14 destinations in Europe. This includes:

  • Daily service to Munich (MUC) using a Boeing 767-400ER (less-than-daily service resumes on December 13th)
  • Daily flights to Milan (MXP) using a Boeing 767-300ER starting on May 1st (last operated in summer 2019)
  • Increased service to Amsterdam (AMS) to three flights per day using Airbus A330-300s
  • Increased service to London (LHR) to twice-daily flights using a Boeing 767-400ER
  • Increased service to Rome (FCO) to twice-daily flights using an Airbus A330-300
  • Upgrading service to Dublin (DUB) to an Airbus A330-300, operating daily
  • Returning service to Athens (ATH) on May 1st with daily flights using an Airbus A330-300
Delta Air Lines Bets Big On Europe For Summer 2022
Delta’s flights to Europe from Atlanta next year. Note that Lagos and Johannesburg (both in Africa) are also planned for 2022. Photo: Cirium

Resuming routes from non-hubs

Three non-hub routes will also resume next summer. Flights from Portland (PDX) to Amsterdam (AMS) will resume on May 3rd and operate up to daily flights using an Airbus A330-200.

Separately, Delta will resume flights to Paris (CDG). From Cincinnati (CVG) and Raleigh-Durham (RDU), Delta will operate a thrice-weekly Boeing 767-300ER service to France. Cincinnati flights will resume on August 2nd, while Raleigh flights resume on August 3rd.

Delta Air Lines Bets Big On Europe For Summer 2022
Delta will be using the Boeing 767-300ER to resume service from Cincinnati and Raleigh to Paris, both featuring a premium economy cabin. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

A consistent product offering

Delta Air Lines is refreshing its Airbus A330 and Boeing 767-300ER fleet to include the carrier’s new Premium Select offering. This dedicated premium economy product will now be found on all flights to Europe next summer.

Delta has not standardized its business class offering. The Airbus A350 and A330-900neos will feature the Delta One Suites. The Boeing 767-400ERs feature a modified Delta One Seat. The 767-300ERs have a touched-up forward-facing lie-flat configuration. Lastly, the Airbus A330s are maintaining their reverse herringbone product.

Delta Air Lines Bets Big On Europe For Summer 2022
Adding Premium Select cabins on all flights to Europe was a top priority for Delta. Photo: Delta Air Lines

Delta’s only service to Europe next summer that will not offer a lie-flat business class product is its seasonal flights to Iceland from Minneapolis. That will feature a Boeing 757-200 offering recliner-style first class seating branded as Premium Select. Delta has no other Boeing 757 flights to Europe this summer as it moves to offer a confirmed array of four classes of service and move away from more long-haul narrowbody flying.

Europe will be key

Europe has typically been one of Delta’s strongest international markets. With partners in Virgin Atlantic (UK), KLM (Netherlands), and Air France, the airline leverages its partner hubs at London-Heathrow, Amsterdam, and Paris to offer connecting itineraries to secondary points in Europe. This is on top of the airline’s other strong markets, especially Italy.

Joe Esposito, Delta’s SVP of Network Planning, stated the following on the schedule for next summer:

“We’re focused on bringing back the routes and destinations our customers love, so they enjoy easy, convenient access to a comprehensive, far-reaching network throughout Europe and its neighboring regions. With the lifting of restrictions to the U.S. and abroad, plus growing vaccination rates and tremendous pent-up demand, travel to Europe is expected to surge next summer – and Delta customers are assured to enjoy every moment from curb to claim.”

Delta is showing that it is betting big on strong travel demand to and from the continent. With travel restrictions coming down on both sides of the Atlantic, the airline is getting ready to tap into pent-up demand and fly passengers to top vacation and business hotspots.

However, Delta’s network will see some key absences. Some routes that were flown pre-pandemic are no longer on the agenda. This includes three cities in Germany (Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, and Berlin). Dubrovnik, added in summer 2021, is not coming back. This is in contrast to United Airlines, which has announced a significant boost not just in resuming routes, but also launching previously-announced routes that did not get an opportunity to fly during the crisis, and also growing with five new destinations.



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