Press release -
Delta expands network in Scotland with new route between Glasgow and New York
Two weeks after Delta Air Lines [NYSE:DAL] started service between Edinburgh and New York-JFK, the U.S. airline has announced it will double its Scottish network in summer 2017 when it begins flying between Glasgow and the Big Apple.
The service, which will begin on May 26, 2017, will be the only nonstop fight between Glasgow and New York-JFK and will operate daily throughout the summer. From JFK, customers will have a choice of 60 same-day onward connections throughout the United States, including the popular cities of Los Angeles, Orlando and San Francisco. The flight is operated in conjunction with partners Virgin Atlantic Airways and this new service adds to Virgin’s seasonal service from Glasgow to Orlando.
Dwight James, Delta’s senior vice president trans-Atlantic, said:
“As a core component of our global strategy, we are eager to build our network across the U.K. and this new flight shows our commitment to Scotland.
“With this service, Delta will operate from four airports in Scotland and England offering our customers more choice of local services to reach their chosen U.S. destination, as well as offering tourism and business opportunities for Scotland.”
The schedule for the service between Glasgow and New York-JFK is:
| Flight | Departs | Arrives |
| DL266 | Glasgow at 1.00 p.m. | New York-JFK at 3.40 p.m. |
| DL466 | New York-JFK at 11.45p.m. | Glasgow at 11.25 a.m. (+1 day) |
Amanda McMillan, Chief Executive of AGS Airports Ltd and Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, said:
“The arrival of Delta Air Lines in Glasgow is fantastic news for Scotland and we really can not underestimate the significance of this announcement; especially since it comes just as Glasgow Airport is about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its official opening.
“Routes such as this enable Scotland to maintain and increase its global competitiveness. Not only will it play a major role in supporting our growing tourism industry, it will provide Scottish businesses with yet another direct link to what is the world’s largest economy. New York is such an iconic city for which there is huge demand and passengers will be able to take advantage of Delta’s extensive route network through its hub at New York-JFK.”
The United States is the number one inbound tourism market to Scotland, with nearly half a million visitors in 2014 – an increase of 100,000 compared to the previous year*. Scottish Government data also reports that overall tourism expenditure in the country stood around £9.7 billion in 2014.
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said:
“This announcement for Glasgow is a fantastic endorsement by one of the world’s biggest airlines for Scotland and the important growth opportunity that is Scottish tourism, coming , as it does, hard on the heels of the commencement of Delta’s new Edinburgh-JFK service.
“Our strategy sees us working closely in partnership with airlines like Delta to develop and promote direct air connectivity to Scotland. This new service to Glasgow will be well timed to exploit the increased interest in Scotland and Scots heritage stimulated by the highly successful Outlander TV series and our Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology in 2017.”
Councillor Frank McAveety, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, added:
“The USA is Glasgow’s largest international market with 100,000 American visitors currently travelling to the city each year, contributing £38 million to the local economy. Delta's new service to Glasgow Airport will bring a mix of leisure and business visitors to the city, as well as serving to increase our worldwide connectivity. We look forward to welcoming Delta to Glasgow and working closely with them and city partners on joint marketing communications activity in the US to grow this key market further.”
Delta’s Glasgow service will be operated using a 164-seat Boeing 757-200ER. All flights will be equipped with Wi-Fi, allowing customers to stay connected at 30,000 feet, in addition to complimentary on-demand in-flight entertainment in all cabins. Movies and TV shows can also be downloaded to tablet and laptop devices.
Customers flying in Delta Comfort+, will benefit from up to four additional inches of legroom and 50 percent more recline than Main Cabin seats, as well as priority boarding. Furthermore, Delta’s flights from Glasgow feature fully flat-bed seats in the Delta One cabin, with Westin Heavenly Inflight Bedding from Westin Hotels & Resorts and TUMI amenity kits featuring products by MALIN + GOETZ. Customers enjoy a range of regional dining options in the Delta One cabin produced using seasonal ingredients and paired with wines selected exclusively for Delta by Master Sommelier, Andrea Robinson.
Tickets for Delta’s New York service are available through Delta Air Lines on 0871 221 1222, www.delta.com or via travel agents.
- ENDS -
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- delta air lines
- international marketing
- corporate communications
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation’s core objective is to contribute to the Tourism 2020 Strategy ambition of growing tourism revenues by £1 billion by 2020.
- This will be supported by seven overarching strategies:
- Marketing: we will market Scotland and its outstanding assets to visitors from all parts of the world, including the promotion of Scotland to people living in Scotland to visit different parts of the country
- Events: we will support the national events strategy and its delivery, and sustain, develop and promote Scotland’s international profile as one of the world’s foremost events destinations
- Internationalisation and International Engagement: we will utilise all our platforms to enable Scottish-based tourism businesses to better understand international opportunities and market to a global audience and we will work within One Scotland Partnerships to optimise the potential of Scotland’s Diaspora and our strategic partners at regional, European and global levels
- Customer Experience: we will provide information and inspiration to visitors both locally and globally via their preferred medium of choice
- Quality and Sustainability: we will provide support and advice to businesses, with the goal of improving the quality and sustainability of the tourism sector in Scotland. We will provide quality assurance to visitors through our Quality Schemes
- Inclusive Tourism: we will strive to make tourism in Scotland inclusive and available to all
- Working in Partnership: we will listen to and work with the industry, partners and communities to shape our offering and support
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- Spending by tourists in Scotland generates around £12 billion of economic activity in the wider Scottish supply chain and contributes around £6 billion to Scottish GDP (in basic prices). This represents about 5% of total Scottish GDP.
- The Scottish Government is the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds 2014-20 Programme. For further information visit www.gov.scot or follow @scotgovESIF
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business events in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design 2016 - 2016 will shine a spotlight on Scotland’s achievements in innovation, architecture and design through a wide-ranging, variety of new and existing activity.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design begins on 1 January 2016 and ends on 31 December 2016 and will build on the momentum generated by the 2015 Year of Food and Drink as well as previous years including Homecoming Scotland 2014, the Year of Creative and the Year of Natural.
- Through a series of exciting events and activity, the year will showcase Scotland’s position as an “innovation nation”, its outstanding built heritage, and its thriving, internationally acclaimed creative industries sector.
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design is a Scottish Government initiative being led by VisitScotland, and supported by a variety of partners including Scottish Government, Creative Scotland, Architecture + Design Scotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Scottish Enterprise, The National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS).
- The Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design events fund is managed by EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
- Join the conversation at #IAD2016
- Events can join the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design Partner Programme throughout the year by visiting http://www.eventscotland.org/YIAD_partner_programme
About Delta:
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune’s top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 337 destinations in 62 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry’s leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a 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 and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, and Facebook.com/delta.
