Tampa International Airport (TPA) just scored a big win from Delta Air Lines.
The Atlanta-based carrier is relaunching daily flights from TPA to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) on Oct. 26, Delta announced Friday.
Delta will deploy an Airbus A330-300 on the 4,613-mile route. This wide-body jet features 34 Delta One pods in a reverse herringbone configuration, 21 Premium Select recliners, 24 Comfort+ extra-legroom seats and 203 standard economy seats.
Map watching: The award for ‘sexiest new route’ of the year goes to …
The flight will depart Tampa at 7:55 p.m. and arrive in Amsterdam at 10:45 a.m. the next day. It’ll then depart Amsterdam at 12:35 p.m. and land in Tampa at 4:55 p.m. on the same day.
This route will operate daily during the peak winter season, and it complements the airline’s existing portfolio of nonstops to Amsterdam. In fact, Delta already serves the Dutch city from nine U.S. gateways, including Atlanta; Boston; Detroit; Minneapolis-St. Paul; New York; Orlando; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; and Seattle.
Though Delta’s network is typically configured in a hub-and-spoke model, this Tampa service is technically a point-to-point route for the airline. The airline doesn’t operate a hub in either city, but this route should have no trouble working in the peak winter season.
That’s because Delta’s transatlantic joint venture partner KLM operates a hub in Amsterdam, which will provide travelers with over 100 one-stop itineraries to Tampa from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India. In fact, I envision that this route will appeal even more to winter-weary Europeans than to Floridians looking for a midwinter European getaway.
“By seamlessly linking Amsterdam’s vibrant international hub—Delta’s most-served airport in Europe—with Tampa Bay’s renowned beaches, Delta is offering customers a gateway to explore the best of Europe and America,” said Matteo Curcio, Delta’s senior vice president for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India, in a statement.
Daily Newsletter
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
Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free biweekly Aviation newsletter.
Technically, this Tampa-to-Amsterdam route represents a resumption for Delta. The carrier last operated it in the winter 2019 season before scrapping it for five years due to the pandemic.
Back in the day, Delta deployed a 226-seat Boeing 767-300ER on the route, so this resumption also represents a capacity increase for Delta.
In addition to Amsterdam service, Delta’s other transatlantic joint venture partner, Virgin Atlantic, flies from Tampa to London. (This route launched during the pandemic in 2022.)
Tampa also sees transatlantic service on Lufthana’s Discover Airlines subsidiary to Frankfurt, as well as British Airways service to London Gatwick Airport (LGW).
Separately, Delta is making one other change to its long-haul network this weekend. The airline’s Los Angeles-to-Auckland route, which launched in October, was originally supposed to operate on a year-round basis. However, due to lower-than-expected demand in the Northern Hemisphere summer season, the carrier will turn the route into winter-only service going forward.
All affected travelers will be offered alternative flight options or a full refund.
Related reading:
