Delta boosts 16 routes in holiday-focused Latin America expansion
Quick summary
Dreaming of a winter vacation in the tropics? Well, Delta Air Lines is hoping to take you there.
The Atlanta-based carrier announced Friday that it's adding additional service and restoring suspended routes to destinations all across Latin America just in time for the peak winter holiday season.
This includes frequency boosts on nine routes from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), six routes from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and one route from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW). You'll find the full list of changes in the table below.
| Origin | Destination | Market increase |
|---|---|---|
| ATL. | Cancun International Airport (CUN). | 6 → 7 daily. |
| ATL. | Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport (RTB). | Saturday only → daily. |
| ATL. | Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO). | 1 → 2 daily. |
| ATL. | Guanacaste Airport (LIR). | 1 → 2 daily. |
| ATL. | Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport (PVR). | 1 → 2 daily. |
| ATL. | Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). | 4 → 5 daily. |
| ATL. | Mexico City International Airport (MEX). | 4 → 5 daily. |
| ATL. | Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA). | 1 → 2 daily. |
| ATL. | Sangster International Airport (MBJ). | 3 → 4 daily. |
| DTW. | CUN. | 3 → 4 daily. |
| JFK. | CUN. | 2 → 3 daily. |
| JFK. | Las Américas International Airport (SDQ). | 3 → 4 daily. |
| JFK. | Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU). | 3 → 4 daily. |
| JFK. | Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS). | 1 → 2 daily. |
| JFK. | Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ). | 1 → 2 daily. |
| JFK. | Cibao International Airport (STI). | 3 → 4 daily. |
These increased frequencies will be available for sale on Delta's website March 18, and they will operate seasonally from Dec. 16, 2023, through Jan. 7, 2024.
In addition to the limited-time expansion, Delta is also restoring service to Cozumel, Mexico — a market that it dropped at the outset of the pandemic in March 2020.
The carrier will fly daily from Atlanta and three times weekly from Minneapolis to Cozumel International Airport (CZM). The former route restarts Nov. 5, while the latter returns Dec. 16. Both flights will be operated by an Airbus A320.
Before the pandemic, Delta also flew from Detroit to Cozumel, but there's no word yet on when, or if, that route will eventually return.
Interestingly, Delta filed plans to resume Cozumel flights two weeks ago, as first seen in Cirium schedules. However, the airline is now marketing the flights as part of a broader expansion in Latin America.
Delta will operate its largest-ever holiday schedule to Latin America this year, offering more than 25,000 daily seats to 44 destinations. This latest expansion represents a 20% increase in seats compared to last year's holiday season.
In New York, Delta will go head-to-head against JetBlue in many of the markets. Meanwhile, ultra-low-cost rivals Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines both operate flights on most of the aforementioned Atlanta and Detroit routes.
These latest additions align with Delta's 2023 strategy of strengthening its position at key hubs. As the airline looks to restore its network to pre-pandemic levels, the carrier has been busy deepening its schedules in major markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.
While these holiday boosts focus on short-haul international routes, Delta's long-haul portfolio is also growing steadily. The airline recently added new flights to Cape Town and Tahiti, and it will shortly restart flying from Atlanta to Tel Aviv on a daily basis.
The carrier has also announced many new transatlantic routes and destinations for this summer, including Geneva and London's Gatwick Airport (LGW).
Related reading: