Delta Air Lines is growing its domestic network by adding more route options through its primary hubs in the Midwest and Northeast in order to keep pace with its competitors' recent expansions.
The carrier confirmed to Insider that it will be adding three brand-new routes and bringing back five returning routes from its hubs at New York's LaGuardia Airport and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The decision was revealed just a week after JetBlue Airways' and American Airlines' so-called Northeast Alliance announced that it would expand its network operating out of New York.
American said that its Northeast Alliance with JetBlue offers more flight frequencies from New York than any other carrier, despite its decision this week to drop 18 New York routes operating out of John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport. Its partner, JetBlue, will be taking up 10 of those routes as they begin to be cut starting in January 2022.
As part of its new network tweaks, Delta will be restoring its hourly shuttle service between LaGuardia and Boston Logan International Airport, which the carrier said will again start running up to 16 times per day starting in January of next year. Delta currently operates this route (an approximately one-hour flight) between three and 12 times daily.
"Delta will offer the most conveniently timed, reliable service of any carrier and be the only to offer First Class for business travelers frequenting this route," a Delta spokesperson said of this shuttle product in a statement made to Insider.
At the same time, the Atlanta-based carrier is facing increased competition from Sun Country Airlines at its second-largest hub in Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. In October, Sun Country announced the addition of seven new nonstop routes from the Twin Cities airport, one of which would be a new route to Burlington, Vermont, which Delta is also slated to begin serving in 2022.
Delta's New and Returning Routes:
1. New York City-Providence, Rhode Island: Begins January 5, 2022, operated by the carrier's regional subsidiary, Endeavor Air. Competition will be with United Airlines, serving the same destination out of Newark Liberty International Airport.
2. Minneapolis-Asheville, North Carolina: Begins April 16, 2022, Saturdays only. Budget carriers Sun Country Airlines and Allegiant Air provide competition.
3. Minneapolis-Burlington, Vermont: Starting June 7, 2022, thrice-weekly flights operating on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Competition will come from low-cost carrier Sun Country Airlines.
4. New York City-Albany, New York: Daily flights will resume from January 5, 2022, this being the first time Delta has operated this particular route since 2012. Competition will come from United Airlines, which serves Albany out of Newark Liberty International Airport, rather than LaGuardia.
5. Minneapolis-Myrtle Beach, South Carolina: Starting April 12, 2022, Delta will resume thrice-weekly service on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Route competition will come from Sun Country Airlines.
6. Minneapolis-Providence, Rhode Island: Daily service will resume on June 6, 2022. On this route, Sun Country Airlines is Delta's only competitor.
7. Minneapolis-Portland, Maine: Daily service is set to resume on June 6, 2022. Sun Country Airlines is again the sole competitor for this service.
8. Minneapolis-Savannah, Georgia: Thrice-weekly service will resume on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays sometime in the summer of 2022. Sun Country Airlines represents the competition here.
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