CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -
Delta Air Lines will launch new service between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and LaGuardia airports with six new peak-day flights as it completes the largest route expansion at the iconic New York City gateway in more than 40 years.
Charlotte flights to New York City will increase by four. There will be six daily flights to LaGuardia and two to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Charlotte Douglas International had no Delta flights to LaGuardia Airport last year. The JFK flights are operated by Pinnacle Airlines.
“An important part of our strategy to become the preferred airline in New York is connecting to key business markets, and that includes daily jet service between Charlotte and LaGuardia,” said Gail Grimmett, Delta’s senior vice president – New York.
The new route will be served with regional jets operated by Delta Connection carriers ExpressJet, Go Jet, Shuttle America and Compass. The regional aircraft offer dual-class cabins and Wi-Fi. In addition to its expanded New York service offering Charlotte customers the convenience of LaGuardia’s easy access to Manhattan, Delta offers 28 flights a day to Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City and Cincinnati, operated by Pinnacle, Compass, ExpressJet, Go Jet, Comair and SkyWest.
The new flights are part of Delta's significant expansion in New York. The airline has increased service at LaGuardia by 60 percent, with 100 new flights and 26 new destinations. Now that the full schedule is implemented, Delta operates more than 260 daily flights between LaGuardia and more than 60 cities, exceeding any other carrier.
Tuesday marks the second phase of Delta's LaGuardia expansion, with new routes to: Charlotte, N.C.; Charlottesville, Va.; Cleveland, Denver; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Houston; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Milwaukee; Montreal; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Ottawa, Ontario; Roanoke, V.A. and Wilmington, N.C.
A portion of travel for some itineraries may be on the Delta Connection® carriers: Chautauqua Airlines, Comair, Compass Airlines, ExpressJet, Go Jet, Mesaba Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, Shuttle America and SkyWest.
Delta is investing more than $160 million to modernize Terminals C and D at LaGuardia by building a connecting bridge between the two terminals, upgrading the Delta Sky Club in Terminal D, opening a new Delta Sky Club in Terminal C and enhancing the customer experience throughout both terminals. The expansion at LaGuardia is part of the airline's strategy to be the preferred carrier in New York.
Delta's three metropolitan area airports carried 20.8 million domestic and international passengers in 2011. The preferred airline for New York travelers expects that number will rise to 24.6 million in 2012, mostly due to the increase at LaGuardia.
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