Delta Air Lines unveils 2 long-haul routes from NYC to South America

Delta Air Lines is adding two exciting lines to its route map.

The carrier will launch new service from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Buenos Aires later this year, and it'll also resume seasonal flights from JFK to Rio de Janeiro after a more than three-year hiatus, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by the carrier.

Delta last flew from New York to Rio in March 2020 before suspending flights indefinitely due to the pandemic.

Daily service to the Argentinian capital will begin on Oct. 28, 2023, and will run through March 29, 2024. The daily Rio flight will commence once again on Dec. 16, 2023, and operate through Feb. 21, 2024.

The 5,282-mile Buenos Aires route will be operated by a 238-seat Boeing 767-400, which features 34 Delta One pods, 20 Premium Select recliners, 28 extra-legroom Comfort+ seats and 156 standard main cabin seats.

Meanwhile, the 4,786-mile Rio route will be flown by a recently retrofitted 216-seat Boeing 767-300 that now sports a four-cabin configuration. This jet, the "76K" as it's referred to internally, has 26 Delta One pods, 18 Premium Select recliners, 21 extra-legroom Comfort+ seats and 151 standard economy seats.

Aviation observers likely won't be surprised to see Delta formally relaunch service between New York and Buenos Aires — a market the carrier briefly served between December 2008 and March 2009. The carrier filed for permission from the U.S. Department of Transporation (DOT) on Jan. 12 to restart this route, and the agency formally approved the request on Jan. 25.

In Delta's petition to the DOT, the airline shared that it wanted to "bring additional competition" to the market that's been dominated by two carriers, American and Aerolineas Argentinas. (United dropped its route from Newark to Buenos Aires in October 2019, Cirium schedules show.)

Delta's argument is bolstered by the fact that it can offer plenty of one-stop connecting opportunities through New York for travelers headed to Argentina. Additionally, the airline said that its "superior operational reliability and customer service will also benefit passengers who would make use of the proposed services."

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Perhaps most interestingly, Delta asked the DOT to approve year-round service between New York and Argentina, but now Delta confirmed that it's only planning to load flights for the winter season.

Time will tell whether the airline moves forward with adding flights for next summer, as originally promised.

Of the two new routes, only the Rio one will operate as part of the new joint venture partnership with the South American mega-carrier LATAM.

Delta shocked the industry in September 2019 when it announced that it was taking a 20% stake in LATAM, pulling the airline away from the Oneworld frequent flyer alliance. As part of the investment, Delta is working to create a strategic alliance with LATAM, boosting flights in key U.S. gateway airports to Latin America.

The joint venture allows the two carriers to split revenue on flights between the U.S. and Canada, and South America. The deal also comes with antitrust immunity, meaning that Delta and LATAM can coordinate schedules and fares in those markets.

Delta and LATAM have already rolled out multiple customer-facing enhancements under the joint venture, including reciprocal frequent flyer accrual and redemption, elite perks and lounge access benefits.

To date, the partnership has enabled the two airlines to launch two new routes — Orlando to Bogota and Los Angeles to Sao Paulo — though more are expected to be in the works.

This is just the latest round of network updates for Delta. Recently, the carrier announced a slew of new flights from Texas, while last month Delta unveiled plans to add new service to Auckland, New Zealand; and Nice, France.

Additionally, Delta will cease serving Nagoya, Japan, later this month when it cuts its long-standing long-haul route from Detroit.

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