Delta Air Lines awarded ‘Best Flight Experience to Africa’ by Executive Travel Magazine’s readers for the second consecutive year

(TRAVPR.COM) NIGERIA - July 25th, 2013 - Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) has been awarded ‘Best Flight Experience to Africa’ by Executive Travel Magazine’s readers for the second consecutive year.  Delta won gold status, the highest level award, ahead of South African Airways and British Airways in the magazine’s Leading Edge Awards 2013.  The annual awards recognize travel providers that offer innovative, high-quality products and services to business travellers.

 “We continue to invest in our customers’ experience by enhancing our onboard product with the roll-out of our fully flat-bed seats as well as improving our airport facilities with the new state-of- the-art terminals both in New York and Atlanta,” said Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s senior vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “Since launching service to Africa in 2006, we have grown from 22 weekly flights between the African continent and the United States to 50 this summer which reflects that our customers value the service we offer.”   

A comprehensive network:

Delta is the leading airline between Africa and the United States, with flights to five African cities and today (summer schedule) operates:

• Daily nonstop service between Johannesburg and Atlanta
• Daily nonstop services between Accra and New York-JFK
• Daily nonstop service between Lagos and Atlanta
• Three weekly services between Monrovia and New York-JFK, via Accra
• Four times weekly nonstop services between Dakar and New York-JFK

Passengers flying to the U.S. benefit from convenient onward connections to over 160  destinations from Atlanta and 60 from New York-JFK, including popular destinations in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Enhancements onboard:

Delta’s BusinessElite customers flying on services to and from Johannesburg and Nigeria benefit from 180-degree, fully flat-bed seats.  Delta’s custom-designed flat-bed seats offer direct aisle access, as well as on Demand in-seat entertainment. The flat-bed seat will be rolled out to Accra and Monrovia by the end of 2013 and across Delta’s international network will be completed by 2014.

Delta also offers Economy Comfort - Delta’s premium economy cabin product – on all its Africa flights.  Customers flying in Economy Comfort benefit from up to four additional inches of legroom for 35 full inches of seat pitch and 50 percent more recline than Delta’s standard Economy class seat.

Delta will also begin the rollout of onboard Wi-Fi across the international fleet in 2014 adding to the existing Wi-Fi services available on all of Delta’s domestic U.S. fleet.

Investment on the ground:

Delta continues to invest in its airport facilities in the United States. Passengers travelling through New York-JFK, will now enjoy Delta’s new expanded and upgraded facilities at Terminal 4, which opened in May 2013, following a $1.2 billion expansion.  Passengers travelling to Atlanta already benefit from more convenient connections at the new, state-of-the-art international terminal at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. 

Each year, the magazine’s readers nominate top travel industry providers in categories ranging from the best international airline to the top hotel group for business travellers. In addition to its award for ‘Best Service to Africa’, Delta won a further 6 accolades. 

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