Delta Air Lines is set to begin its first-ever non-stop service between the Big Apple and South America. Subject to foreign government approvals, Delta will offer daily non-stop service between JFK and South America’s largest city, Sao Paulo, Brazil, effective June 1, as it continues its rapid expansion into popular Latin American leisure and business destinations.

“Delta is thrilled to extend our South American expertise and leadership to the New York market with the first non-stop Delta service between New York and Brazil,” said Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s executive vice president of Network and Revenue Management.

“Delta already offers New York customers the most service of any U.S. airline across the Atlantic, the most domestic capacity from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, and the city’s leading Shuttle product to Washington, D.C. and Boston. The addition of daily, non-stop service from New York to South America’s largest market is the latest step in ensuring that Delta is New York’s airline of choice. More service announcements that will further extend our leadership position in New York are planned later this winter.”

The addition of non-stop flights between Delta’s hub at New York-JFK and South America is the latest in a series of moves to strengthen Delta’s standing as a leading global airline across the Atlantic and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean - boosting Delta to become the world’s largest carrier across the Atlantic and the second-largest U.S. carrier to South and Central America by summer 2006.

With the added freight capacity, Delta’s new service from New York to Sao Paulo also will benefit freight forwarders and cargo shippers in both countries. In addition to its new service between New York and So Paulo, Delta serves Brazil with daily flights from its hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Rio de Janeiro, as well as Sao Paulo.

And elsewhere in South America, Delta offers customers daily flights between Atlanta and Bogot, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Caracas, Venezuela; Lima, Peru; and Santiago, Chile.

“We are excited that our partner, Delta Air Lines, is strategically expanding service for the Brazilian travel community,” said Joao De Matos, president of Brazilian Travel Service, BACC Travel, and Brazilian Vacation Center, the largest Brazilian travel agency in the United States.

“Delta’s proactive move will create new travel opportunities for the cities of New York and Sao Paulo, and it will complement the airline’s Atlanta flight which has been very popular with our customers.”

Delta’s new flights between New York and Sao Paulo will add to the 21 transatlantic destinations served by Delta from New York, including four new non-stop routes planned for summer 2006: Budapest, Hungary; Dublin/Shannon, Ireland; Kiev, Ukraine (subject to foreign government approvals); and Manchester, England.
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