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Delta Air Lines Lands Coveted London Heathrow Route from Boston
Jolly Good Competition to Continue on Boston Logan’s Most Popular International Route
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Port Authority is pleased to announce that Delta Air Lines has won the right to fly two flights a day from London’s slot-controlled Heathrow Airport to Boston Logan International Airport, ensuring continued competition on Logan’s most popular international route.
“Delta Air Lines will be a wonderful addition to the portfolio of airlines that fly Boston-Heathrow,’’ said Massport CEO & Executive Director Thomas J. Kinton Jr. “Together with its trans-Atlantic alliance partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia, Delta already provides international gateway service from Boston to Amsterdam, Paris and Rome, and we are thrilled that they are adding London next March.’’
Delta is expected to announce its schedule and fares next week.
Delta applied for the rights to serve Boston from Heathrow earlier this year as part of a divestiture of slots required following the U.S. and E.U. governments’ approval of the alliance between American Airlines and British Airways. Delta argued its proposed new Heathrow service would bring the most benefit to consumers because its global alliance – SkyTeam – holds the smallest percentage of slots at Heathrow.
Massport, Gov. Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas Menino and the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation had supported Delta’s application.
Together with its trans-Atlantic joint venture partners, Delta is one of the largest international carriers at Boston-Logan with 85 peak-day departures to 19 nonstop destinations from Boston scheduled for next summer’s peak travel season.
Boston Logan, 15 minutes from the intersection of Route 128 and I-90 and five minutes from downtown Boston, serves as the gateway to the New England region and offers nonstop service to 70 domestic and 31 international destinations and in 2009 handled 25.5 million passengers. Boston Logan is the Air Line Pilot Association’s Airport of the Year for 2008 because of its commitment to safety. Over the past decade, the airport spent $4.5 billion on a modernization program that includes new terminals, parking facilities, roadways and airport concessions, and has been transformed into a world-class 21st Century facility. The airport generates $7 billion in total economic impact each year.
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The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, public terminals in the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport. Massport is a financially self-sustaining public authority whose premier transportation facilities generate more than $8 billion annually, and enhance and enable economic growth and vitality in New England. No state tax dollars are used to fund operations or capital improvements at Massport facilities.