- Özgür Töre
Delta Air Lines marked its expansion in Panama alongside Tourism Minister Ivan Eskildsen as they welcomed customers arriving on the inaugural flight DL1753 from Delta’s New York (JFK) hub to Panama City (PTY) on Dec. 20.
The celebration featured folkloric dancers and capped the airline’s third inaugural flight in three days. The expansion began on Dec. 18 with new service from PTY to Delta’s Los Angeles (LAX) hub, new service to Orlando (MCO) and a second Saturday flight from the airline’s Atlanta (ATL) hub.
Delta’s expansion in Panama, arriving just in time for the busy holiday travel period, represents an 80% increase in capacity versus the same period in 2019, with the airline now offering 13 weekly flights, the largest number between the two countries since the launch of service in 1998.
“Delta’s three new routes and the additional Saturday service will enable friends and family to reunite this holiday, and for leisure and business travelers to discover all that Panama has to offer,” said Luciano Macagno, Delta’s Managing Director – Latin America, Caribbean and South Florida.
“Our customers in Panama now have access to four major U.S. cities and a host of connections to points throughout the world, along with award-winning customer service. We look forward to introducing more customers in Panama to the Delta Difference.”
Customers transiting through LAX can connect to 48 U.S. cities, while JFK offers flights to 46 U.S. cities. At LAX, Delta is investing $1.86 billion to modernize and upgrade Terminals 2 and 3 and connect them to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. The central head house is set to open in Q1 2022. Additionally, the Delta-funded JFK Terminal 4 redevelopment program will make JFK travel more convenient for customers by summer 2023 – with 10 new gates, an additional domestic baggage claim carousel and the consolidation of all of Delta’s JFK operations into Terminal 4.
New L.A. and Orlando service – Delta’s only international flight at MCO – are both operating once-weekly on the 199-seat Boeing 757 aircraft and the 180-seat Boeing 737-900, respectively. The JFK service is operated on the 160-seat Boeing 737-800 three times per week, increasing to four times in March 2022.
In addition to Main Cabin, all aircraft offer a spacious First Class cabin and extra legroom in Delta Comfort+. All customers will enjoy in-seat power outlets for their devices, Wi-Fi available for purchase and free mobile messaging, and personal seat-back entertainment screens featuring a wealth of premium content, including curated playlists and podcasts from Delta’s partnership with Spotify, plus a brand-new selection of seasonally-inspired beverages.
Delta has maintained safety-focused operations throughout the pandemic and continues to evolve its layers of protection to offer customers a safer travel experience.
