Delta Air Lines is adding three new lines to its domestic route map, two of which will certainly appeal to those looking to escape the cold this winter.
The Atlanta-based carrier filed plans over the weekend to add service from Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, New York, to both Orlando and West Palm Beach in Florida, as seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
Both of these daily routes will commence on Nov. 10 — in time for the busy winter holiday period — and will end on May 6, 2024, about when the snowbirds tend to return to cooler pastures.
Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free biweekly Aviation newsletter.
Delta will operate a 110-seat Boeing 717 on both routes. The airline will base one of these planes at the Westchester airport, as it’ll fly from HPN to Orlando in the early morning, return from Orlando to Westchester around midday and then complete the Westchester to West Palm Beach turn in the afternoon and evening.
Neither Orlando nor West Palm Beach nor Westchester is a Delta hub, but that’s not stopping the airline from adding this point-to-point service that’ll likely appeal to many winter-weary travelers heading to the Sunshine State.
Florida is an incredibly popular destination during the winter, and HPN is the airport of choice for many deep-pocketed travelers who live in the Westchester area, as well as those nearby in some of Connecticut’s wealthiest towns.
Moreover, HPN is a breeze to navigate, and many locals living within a few miles radius of the airport choose to fly from the airport — and possibly even add in a connection to their trip — instead of flying from the larger airports in the region.
JetBlue Airways has long been the market leader for flights from Westchester to Florida, and Delta’s new once-daily service will go head-to-head against JetBlue’s existing flights on both routes.
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts.
More: How to earn Delta Medallion elite status without flying
It remains to be seen if this will lead to lower fares — HPN has long been known for seldom boasting discounted fares during peak travel periods. (Case in point: in the first quarter of 2023, Cirium data shows that average gross fares from Westchester to Orlando were $198 versus $151 if leaving from nearby LaGuardia Airport.)
In addition to the new routes, Delta also flies between Westchester and its Atlanta and Detroit hubs. (The airline’s relatively new service from Westchester to Boston ends on Aug. 31.)
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Delta is boosting service to Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport (LWS) with a brand-new route from its Seattle hub. Delta Connection partner SkyWest will start flying this 261-mile route on Oct. 9 with daily service onboard the Embraer E175 regional jet.
Delta’s new route to Lewiston joins the airline’s existing service from Salt Lake City.
Interestingly, Alaska Airlines dropped the Seattle-to-Lewiston route in 2018. Despite repeated attempts to cajole Alaska into restarting the route, local authorities instead turned their attention to Delta when Alaska didn’t express any interest, the Big Country News reports.
Alaska and Delta fight tooth and nail in Seattle, and this new route is another that Delta will offer for locals looking for trips to Seattle and beyond.
Though Delta is growing its domestic network, the airline also made one notable change to its long-haul international portfolio this weekend.
Elsewhere: Sayonara, Narita: The Rise and Fall of Delta’s Tokyo Hub
Delta will cease flying between New York and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) during the winter season. This daily flight launched in April, and it was supposed to operate with year-round service.
Seemingly, the airline isn’t expecting robust demand to London’s secondary airport this winter, so it’ll stop flying this route between Oct. 28 and March 29, 2024, Cirium schedules show.
Related reading:
