Delta Air Lines has announced new flights to Greece from its largest hub in Atlanta. As the country reopens for tourism, whether passengers are vaccinated or not, Delta will fly to Athens from two hubs this summer. The first flights to Greece will start in May, as Greece is one of the few spots in Europe open for American tourists.
Delta adds new service to Greece
Starting July 2nd, Delta will fly to Athens International Airport (ATH) from its largest hub at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) with a daily service. This route was last served in 2011 and will allow the airline to offer connections to over 140 cities across the US from its largest hub.
This route will complement resuming service to Greece from May 28th. From New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Delta will fly daily to ATH. From New York, passengers can connect to 44 US cities.
This new flight, however, is not an expansion of services. Delta had previously expected to fly two daily services between New York and Athens. Now, one daily flight will move over to Atlanta. Flight schedules will be loaded soon on Delta’s website.
The move away from New York will allow Delta to offer more connections while also rationalizing the competitive landscape. American Airlines is set to launch a new service, as a result of its partnership with JetBlue, to Athens. Meanwhile, from Newark, both Emirates and United are expecting to fly daily services to Athens.
The aircraft
Delta is using its transatlantic workhorses for all flights to Athens. Both routes will operate on 293-seat Airbus A330-300 aircraft. These planes feature three different experiences. At the front, there are 34 seats in lie-flat business class, branded as Delta One, in a 1-2-1 configuration. This is not the Delta One Suite but is instead the airline’s reverse herringbone product.
This is followed by 40 seats in Comfort+, which is Delta’s extra-legroom economy product. Lastly, there are 219 seats in standard economy. These two classes are in a 2-4-2 configuration.
All seats feature access to WiFi, power, and on-demand seatback entertainment. Delta offers its passengers complimentary messaging through select channels. Other passengers can purchase WiFi to stay connected via email or social media.
Catering to leisure travelers
Greece is a very leisure-oriented market. As SVP of Network Planning at Delta, Joe Esposito says:
“Customers are eager to reclaim their lives and for many that means traveling again. Outdoor-friendly destinations like Greece are particularly in demand and flying Delta means you can continue to expect award-winning hospitality with new services to make the entire journey more enjoyable, simple and stress-free.”
Greece is opening up for tourism. Passengers can travel without quarantine or testing requirements if they show proof of vaccination, such as the white CDC-branded vaccination card. For passengers who have not received the vaccine, Greece will allow you to enter the country if you show a negative PCR test issued up to 72 hours before arrival.
Note that, regardless of whether you have the vaccine or not, the US currently requires arriving passengers to provide proof of a negative PCR or antigen test result before boarding a flight. Passengers who travel to Greece will need to ensure that they can access testing before returning to the US.
Greece is also currently under lockdown, though that will ease shortly. Through May 3rd, Greece has daily nighttime curfews from 21:00 to 05:00. Restaurants and cafés will also be allowed to reopen for outdoor services starting that day as well. All visitors will need to wear face coverings throughout Greece.
Greece joins Iceland in receiving new services from Delta Air Lines. Both countries announced plans to reopen for tourism. Delta, sensing an opportunity to seize pent-up demand for travel, decided to add services to both countries as it pushes for a broader European reopening, including a US-UK corridor.
Are you going to fly Delta Air Lines to Greece this summer? Let us know in the comments!
