Delta, Air France, KLM Launch Florida International Expansion

MIAMI, March 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines DAL and the Air France-KLM Group AFLYY kick off a major international expansion this week with new flights connecting Florida with three major European cities: London, Paris and Amsterdam.

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Delta will launch daily new nonstop service between Miami and London's Heathrow Airport on March 26. On March 27, KLM begins new nonstop flights between Miami and its hub in Amsterdam four days weekly. And on June 11, Air France will inaugurate new nonstop service between Orlando and its Paris hub three days weekly.

The airlines will operate the new Florida flights under their industry-leading trans-Atlantic joint venture, an agreement, which also includes Alitalia, that allows the partners to coordinate flights and share costs and revenues of the service. For customers, it means more choices for booking, destinations and schedules, additional opportunities to earn and redeem miles and consistent service regardless of which airline operates the flight.

"The power of our successful joint venture allows Delta, Air France and KLM to embark on this significant international expansion in Florida, with new service connecting the state to these important European cities," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta's executive vice president – Network Planning, Revenue Management and Marketing. "Our new nonstop service will provide an economic boost on both sides of the Atlantic."

"The almost simultaneous launch of our new frequencies on departure from Paris-CDG and Amsterdam to Florida clearly shows that our coordinated operations enable the joint venture airlines to provide our joint customers with a wide complementary offering at very competitive fares," said Bruno Matheu, Air France-KLM 's executive vice president – Network, Revenue Management and Marketing.

"With Miami-Amsterdam, KLM is adding another nonstop service to the joint venture. This is the 20th trans-Atlantic route from Amsterdam served by KLM and Delta Air Lines. With more than 250 daily trans-Atlantic flights and a fleet of more than 130 aircraft, this joint venture offers our customers a generous network with higher frequencies, attractive prices and tailored schedules for trans-Atlantic travel," said Erik Varwijk, Air France-KLM's executive vice president – International and the Netherlands.

"New service to London-Heathrow and Amsterdam on Delta and KLM further enhances Miami's status as an international city," said Miami Mayor Thomas Regalado. "The new flights mean more jobs, more business opportunities and more choices for travelers from Miami International Airport."

Details of the service follows:

Miami – London Heathrow

Miami – Amsterdam

Orlando – Paris-Charles de Gaulle

In conjunction with its new service between Miami and London, Delta is also adding new nonstop service between Miami and Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. Those flights, operated by Delta Connection carrier Comair, begin March 26 and will provide convenient connecting service for Florida customers traveling to London-Heathrow.

About Delta

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 356 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, the world's largest airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

About Air France KLM

AIR FRANCE KLM, the result of a merger between AIR FRANCE and KLM in 2004, is one of the leading European air transport groups. Its main activities are the air transport of passengers and cargo as well as aircraft maintenance. In 2009-10, AIR FRANCE KLM carried 71.4 million passengers. The group's fleet comprises more 558 aircraft, including 192 regional aircraft operated by its partners Brit Air, City Jet, Regional and KLM Cityhopper. Its network covers 244 destinations in 106 countries from its hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol. The Flying Blue frequent flyer programme is leader in Europe and has over 17 million members. With their partners Delta and Alitalia, AIR FRANCE and KLM operate the biggest transatlantic joint venture with close to 250 daily flights.  AIR FRANCE and KLM are members of the SkyTeam alliance which has 13 member airlines, offering customers access to a global network of over 12,500 daily flights to 898 destinations in 169 countries. Internet : corporate.airfrance.com / klm.com

SOURCE Delta Air Lines