The new flights operated by Delta Air Lines departing from Rio de Janeiro arrived in Atlanta and New York on December 17, both associated with the American company’s joint venture agreement with LATAM.
The flight DL60, from Rio de Janeiro to Atlanta – which will now operate year-round – took off from Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport (GIG) at 9:15 AM on Sunday, landing at Delta’s main hub at 5:15 PM (local time). Shortly after, at 10:15 AM, flight DL244 departed from Rio heading to New York-JFK, landing in the American city at 6:30 PM (local time). This frequency is seasonal and will be offered until February 21, 2024.
Both routes are operated by Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, featuring four cabins: Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+, and Main Cabin. These are additions to the daily direct services that Delta already offers from São Paulo (two flights to Atlanta and one to New York-JFK), now totaling five daily flights between Brazil and the United States – the highest number of flights ever offered by Delta in its 26 years of operation in Brazil.
“We are extremely happy with the return of Delta’s direct services between Rio de Janeiro and the United States, another demonstration of the recovery of the travel industry in both countries and proving the importance of Rio as a gateway for international tourists, just as Delta’s focus is to take its customers to the places they most desire,” said Danillo Barbizan, Delta’s sales manager – Brazil.
In the three years prior to the pandemic, the airline transported over half a million passengers between the United States and Rio de Janeiro.
DELTA-LATAM Joint-Venture
In recent months, the Delta-LATAM joint venture announced interesting expansions in its services between the United States and South America, including new routes and enhanced frequencies. Among the routes already in operation due to the partnership are Orlando-Bogotá, Los Angeles-São Paulo, Medellín-Miami, and a second frequency Lima-Atlanta, all operated by LATAM. Additionally, Delta launched its second daily flight between Atlanta and Bogotá. And this December, in addition to the Rio de Janeiro-Atlanta and Rio de Janeiro-New York/JFK frequencies, the partners will introduce the Atlanta to Cartagena route, which will be operated by Delta starting December 22.