Aruba, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic. All popular Caribbean destinations with plenty of service from Delta Air Lines.
But Curaçao, well, that’s an island that Delta hasn’t served since 2010. Yet that’s changing later this year when Delta restarts flights there just in time for the holiday season, the airline announced on Friday.
Beginning on Dec. 16, the carrier will operate once-weekly flights from its mega-hub in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Curaçao International Airport (CUR).
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This new Saturday-only service will be flown year-round and will be operated by a 160-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with 16 first-class recliners, 36 extra-legroom Comfort+ seats and 108 standard economy seats.
The new flight will be bookable as of Sunday, July 16.
Delta last flew to Curaçao from December 2007 to August 2010, also on a once-weekly basis, Cirium schedules show.
Delta is marketing this new flight as part of a broader winter expansion from Atlanta to Latin America, giving flyers nearly 500 weekly flights to 44 destinations in the region. This represents a 30% increase in capacity over 2022.
Aside from catering to locals based in Atlanta, the airline is also marketing this new flight on one-stop itineraries from more than 100 U.S. cities.
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Though Delta’s service to Curaçao will give loyalists an exciting new route-map pin, the Dutch Caribbean island is well served by the airline’s competitors.
American Airlines flies to the island from Charlotte and Miami. JetBlue Airways operates service from New York, and United Airlines flies there from Newark.
Delta’s new flight will mostly compete with American for connecting traffic, since both carriers offer convenient one-stop service from many destinations across the U.S. funneled via Atlanta, Charlotte or Miami.
Meanwhile, JetBlue’s and United’s flights from the New York City area will likely appeal to locals or those based in the Northeast.
Curaçao may be a lesser-known Caribbean destination for Americans, but it boasts expansive coral reefs and hidden beaches that could offer a much more relaxing vacation than visiting some of the busier islands in the Caribbean.
Marriott Bonvoy loyalists can even redeem points at the four-year-old Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort.
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