Delta Air Lines and United Airlines each will begin new
service to Cape Town, South Africa, this year, the companies announced this
week.
The two carriers had been at odds with each other as both
had made requests for three of the four remaining weekly frequencies between
the United States and South Africa allowed under the U.S.-South Africa Air
Transport Agreement. The Department of Transport of the Republic of South
Africa in June agreed to allow the addition
of two frequencies, and the U.S. Department of Transportation has granted
three weekly frequencies each to Delta and United.
United will commence its thrice-weekly nonstop service
between Washington-D.C. and Cape Town on Nov. 17, subject to approval by the
South Africa government, according to the carrier. United will operate the
route with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamline aircraft, with 48 lie-flat, Polaris
business class seats, 21 Premium Plus seats and 188 Economy seats. Tickets are
on sale now.
Delta will operate nonstop Atlanta-Cape Town service on
Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, beginning Dec. 17, using an Airbus A350-900
aircraft, which will have four cabins: One Suites, Premium Select, Comfort-plus
and Main Cabin. The carrier has two configurations for the A350-900, one with
306 seats and one with 339 seats.
In addition, Delta plans to begin twice-daily nonstop
service on Dec. 17 between Los Angeles and Miami, using a Boeing 737-900ER
aircraft. Also on Dec. 17, the carrier will add nonstop service between Los
Angeles and Tahiti, operating on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with a
Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. Beginning in May, Delta plans to add service between
Atlanta and Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays using an
Airbus A350-900.
All four of these new routes go on sale July 30.
Further, Delta will offer Premium Select seating on domestic
U.S. routes for the first time this winter on service between Atlanta and Maui,
between New York-JFK and Honolulu, and between Salt Lake City and Maui. The new
Atlanta-Maui route will launch Nov. 19, while the new JFK-Honolulu route and
returning Salt Lake City-Maui route will launch Dec. 17.