Delta to expand domestic first-class seats this fall to all flights longer than 2.5 hours
By APThursday, June 10, 2010
Delta to expand domestic first-class seats in fall
ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines Inc. said Thursday it plans to offer first-class seats on all domestic flights longer than 750 miles — about two and a half hours — beginning this fall.
In Delta’s June schedule, about 11 percent of seats are located in first or business class. Overall, airlines have seen a slight uptick in premium traffic as the economy has improved. Carriers hope business travel will grow further and they will be able to fill more of those expensive seats.
When the upgrade is complete, 50 routes where Delta Connection currently offers only one class of service will be upgraded to two-cabin aircraft. Those routes include: Atlanta to Albany, N.Y., Boston to Memphis, Tenn., Detroit to San Antonio and Cincinnati to Dallas-Fort Worth.
By fall, Delta’s fleet will include 219 regional aircraft with two-class service flying on 272 domestic routes.
Delta’s domestic route upgrades are part of the airline’s ongoing $1 billion investment in products and service across its network.
Delta shares rose 11 cents to $13.47 in afternoon trading.
