SAO PAULO and ATLANTA, July 15, 2014 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) is focused on meeting the needs of customers affected by its recently announced reduction of flights between Caracas, Venezuela and Atlanta.

Delta provided one month advance notice prior to the reduction of frequencies, and is reaching out to affected customers to assist with their travel needs. The airline is accommodating passengers who have already begun their trip to ensure they have options for their return to Caracas and will operate additional flights as needed.

All customers who have not commenced travel before Aug. 2 and those who have a return scheduled on or after Aug. 2, 2014, will be offered a full refund. 

Delta is working in partnership with the Venezuelan Association of Travel Agents and Tourism (AVAVIT) in Caracas to assist customer’s requests as quickly as possible.  Delta is also taking into account individual circumstances on a case-by-case basis. To request a refund, customers should contact Delta at 1-800-100-3453 or their travel agent.

Delta’s decision to reduce service was due to circumstances largely out of Delta’s control relating to the government’s foreign currency control requirements and the government’s inability to grant Delta’s numerous requests to exchange Delta’s own ticket revenues to U.S. dollars and allow them to be repatriated to the United States. Over the last 15 months, the Venezuelan government has failed to approve Delta’s requests to exchange more than $188 million in revenue earned from ticket sales in Venezuelan bolivars into U.S. dollars.  While Delta continues to work diligently and in good faith with the Venezuelan government to find an expedient resolution to the issue, the matter remains unresolved. This has left the airline no option but to limit its financial risk by reducing operations in Venezuela.    

Delta has proudly provided 15 years of uninterrupted service to Caracas and values its longstanding commercial relationship with the Venezuelan government.  Delta remains committed to the Venezuelan market and its loyal Venezuelan customers.  While Delta reduced flights from daily to weekly service between Atlanta and Caracas, the airline does not intend to leave the market at this time.  Delta remains hopeful that the repatriation issues can be resolved with the government and we can return to regular service.

About Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines is working to become the best U.S. airline in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its achievements have been recognized with two top distinctions by Latin Trade’s Best of Travel Annual Awards 2014, leading the categories of “Most Improvement Overall” and “Best Partnerships and Alliances”, and being the only U.S. airline in this year’s rankings.  Delta was also recognized with the Best Airline to North America award by Prêmio Destaque Companhia de Viagem, by Grupo Companhia. Delta continues to grow in Latin America through its long-term exclusive alliances with GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Aeroméxico and Aerolíneas Argentinas, and is committed to building a solid regional footprint thus enhancing its global network and offering a better overall experience for its customers. Delta provides service to 28 countries and 47 destinations in the region offering over 1,500 weekly flights between Latin America/Caribbean and the U.S. Delta customers can receive real-time, on-the-go travel assistance in Spanish and Portuguese through Twitter channels @DeltaAssist_ES and @DeltaAjuda from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. Brazilian customers can also access Delta´s dedicated Brazil Facebook page, visiting http://www.facebook.com/DeltaAirLinesBrasil.

Delta Air Lines serves nearly 165 million customers each year. This year, Delta was named the 2014 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine and was named to FORTUNE magazine’s 50 Most Admired Companies, in addition to being named the most admired airline for the third time in four years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 333 destinations in 64 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on delta.com, Twitter @Delta, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta’s blog takingoff.delta.com.