USA: Delta Named ‘Preferred Airline’ Plans Added Daily Nonstop Between Miami And Havana

Delta was recently named “Flyers’ Preferred Airline” among North American airlines by the largest frequent flyer website in China, Flyertea, for the third consecutive year.

Flyertea Award Ceremony
The Chinese travel industry recognizes the Flyertea Travel Awards as the most prestigious and unique awards, as the winners are selected by frequent travelers rather than travel industry professionals.

“Our efforts to be the most Chinese-friendly U.S. airline are rapidly gaining ground with Chinese travelers,” said Wong Hong, Delta's Vice President – Greater China. “We will continue to improve Chinese customers’ travel experiences by listening to the frequent travelers’ voices.”

To determine the winners, Flyertea collected votes from more than 50,000 questionnaires completed by mainstream domestic business travelers. The event, held in Shanghai, saw attendance from more than 30 major airlines, hotel groups, credit card companies, business travel services and media.

For several years, Delta has been expanding its footprint in China. Today, the airline operates 28 weekly departures to China's global financial center, Shanghai, from Los Angeles, Detroit, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Additionally, Delta offers 14 weekly departures to China's capital, Beijing, from its hubs in Seattle and Detroit.

Delta is also investing heavily in building the most Chinese-friendly U.S. airline. Last year, Delta introduced Delta One loungewear to all China routes, increased native Chinese content on its In-Flight Entertainment systems, upgraded functions on WeChat (China’s SNS platform), created Chinese signage at Seattle, Detroit and Los Angeles airports and produced a Chinese language landing video for customers arriving at Seattle, Detroit and Los Angeles airports.

Meanwhile, Delta plans to expand its service between Miami and Havana, Cuba, offering an additional daily nonstop flight between the cities. Pending regulatory approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Delta would begin operating this additional frequency by Dec. 15, 2017

“Delta has established a strong framework for sustainable success in the Cuban market,” said Jose “Pepe” Zapata, Delta’s General Manager-Central America and the Caribbean. “The proposed flight would provide additional service and competition for South Florida, which has the largest Cuban-American population in the United States.”

Delta returned to Cuba on Dec. 1, 2016, after a 55-year hiatus with the launch of a nonstop daily flight to Havana from New York’s JFK International Airport, Miami International Airport and the airline’s hometown airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.