Delta ending Moscow, Stockholm flights; beefs up other European routes

Delta is rolling out a bevy of new routes to Europe – but also dropping two destinations altogether – as it tweaks its schedule across the Atlantic.

Delta’s seasonal service between New York JFK and both Moscow and Stockholm will not resume next year, Delta said in a Thursday memo to employees that was obtained by Today in the Sky. The move will end Delta-operated service to both cities.

Also next summer, Delta will “suspend” its existing year-round service between Newark and Amsterdam and between Philadelphia and London Heathrow. The company's seasonal Philadelphia-Paris Charles de Gaulle route will not come back in 2018.

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“While it is always difficult to suspend service, these moves will ensure Delta’s trans-Atlantic network will continue its multi-year run of continuous growth well into the future,” Delta said in the memo.

Against those cuts, Delta touted new routes it says will expand its trans-Atlantic capacity for the fifth year in a row. The memo detailed seven new trans-Atlantic routes, some previously announced.

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From Los Angeles, the carrier add non-stop service to both Paris Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam on June 16. Delta will fly four weekly flights to Amsterdam and three to Paris, using Boeing 777-200LR jets on both.

The service will give Los Angeles customers a non-stop connection to the hubs of two of Delta's closest partners. Connecting service will be available to more than 100 destinations across Europe, Asia and Africa via Air France’s hub in Paris and KLM’s in Amsterdam.

Beyond L.A., Delta will add two other connections to its partners' hubs in Europe. Non-stop flights from Orlando to Amsterdam start March 30 while Indianapolis-Paris flights begin May 24. The Indianapolis route is especially notable since it gives that city its first-ever regular airline service to a destination outside North America.

From its hub in New York JFK, Delta will launch a seasonal route to the Azores, the Portuguese-controlled island chain in the North Atlantic. Flights to the Azores’ main international airport in Ponta Delgada will start May 24 and run through Sep. 3, adding a new destination to Delta’s route map.

At its busiest hub in Atlanta, Delta is adding non-stop flights to Lisbon. The seasonal route will be flown on Boeing 767 jets and will run from May 24 through Sept. 4.

Also across the Atlantic – but to Africa -- Delta will launch year-round service to Lagos, Nigeria. The service from New York JFK will start March 24, with three weekly flights on Airbus A330 aircraft. Delta already serves Lagos with four weekly flights from its hub in Atlanta. 

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