SAO PAULO and SAN JUAN, June 26, 2014 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) supports the Puerto Rico Tourism Company’s summer campaign, which highlights the island as a prime Caribbean destination for luxury leisure travelers. Delta increased its capacity to five daily flights from New York’s JFK International Airport during peak summer season, offering 1,600 round trip seats per day, with 10 percent of those in Delta’s Business class.
“Delta’s commitment to Puerto Rico is as strong as ever as the airline works to become the best U.S. airline in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Maria Fernanda Price, Delta’s regional manager for the Caribbean. “We are proud to partner with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and invite New Yorkers and the over 900,000 people of Puerto Rican descent living in the Big Apple to experience Puerto Rico as a preferred destination for the luxury traveler.”
Delta’s commitment to the economic development of the island, in particular to the travel and tourism sector, has withstood the test of time as the airline has served the island for 62 years. Delta continues to adapt to the demands of the business and tourism sector because Puerto Rico is key for the growth of Delta’s Latin American network and for its success in the New York market.
“Puerto Rico has much to offer to travelers looking to explore Puerto Rico under a different light and in luxurious accommodations,” said Gabriel R. Emanuelli, PRTC’s director of global sales. “Our Summer is Easy campaign highlights hotels like the Royal Isabela, The Ritz Carlton Reserve in Dorado, The St. Regis in Rio Grande, the W Hotel in Vieques and the soon to be open Vanderbilt Hotel in El Condado. All of these properties have unique appeal and are the perfect start to a journey of discovery in Puerto Rico.”
“It is crucial that we meet the travel needs of Puerto Ricans on the mainland as well as on the island both for business as well as leisure,” added Price. “Because Puerto Rico is crucial to New York’s success we are diligently working to meet our customers’ expectations by offering increased connectivity, enhanced on-board services and state-of-the-art technology applied to travel.”
Two years ago Delta tripled the number of flights it operates between John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and San Juan, increasing connectivity also to 48 international destinations served by Delta from JFK-New York. This summer, a fifth daily flight between JFK and San Juan further expands options for Delta’s customers who also enjoy the benefits of the $1.4 billion expansion and enhancement of Terminal 4 at JFK. The new terminal provides increased international access to customers from Puerto Rico traveling to New York and will offer a state of the art facility to those wishing to visit the island.
Delta also connects Puerto Rico to its Atlanta hub with 21 to 35 weekly frequencies depending on seasonality. From Atlanta, Puerto Ricans have access to the more than 977 daily flights to 222 destinations that Delta operates, including nonstop service to 67 international destinations.
About The Puerto Rico Tourism Company
The Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), founded in 1970, is a public corporation responsible for stimulating, promoting and regulating the development of the tourism industry. It markets Puerto Rico as a tourism destination through advertising, public relations and promotional activities; promotes tourism among local residents; provides visitor orientation and technical assistance to investors; evaluates tourism facilities and establishes standards of quality; and regulates and oversees gaming operations. PRTC has offices and representatives in the U.S. mainland, Canada, Europe and Latin America.
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, committed to building a solid regional footprint, a global network and a better overall experience for 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.
