Delta Air Lines is resuming its nonstop flights between Atlanta and Amsterdam from October 25th. Using an Airbus A330, now that Minneapolis can once again receive international travelers, Delta will connect one of its largest domestic hub to one of its largest international hubs where partner KLM can offer connections.
Resuming Minneapolis to Amsterdam
The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) in Minnesota announced that Delta Air Lines is resuming international long-haul service from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) from October 25th. It will be the first transoceanic service from MSP since services were suspended on the route in the spring.
Simple Flying got to review this service in Delta One last year from Amsterdam to Minneapolis. Note that due to the global health crisis, Delta has modified service onboard its aircraft.
Delta will fly this route four times a week on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays using an Airbus A330-300.
Brian Ryks, CEO of the MAC, stated the following in a press release viewed by Simple Flying:
“Resumption of transoceanic service is a significant milestone in our recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 and a tremendous boost for MSP and the Twin Cities region.”
MSP can now handle international flights
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) previously required international flights to arrive at one of the following 15 airports in the United States from travel-restricted countries:
- Boston-Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
- Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH),
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD)
With those health screenings now ended, Minneapolis-St Paul, Delta’s third-largest hub, will once again be connected to transatlantic partner KLM’s largest hub, where Delta can offer passengers onward connections.
Most countries in Europe are not allowing Americans in for general tourist activity without testing or quarantine requirements. However, for passengers looking to go onwards or are trying to be repatriated, these flights can offer some onward connections. Not to mention, Delta can also leverage its cargo business, as it has in the past, to open up these new international flights.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
MSP became a Delta hub after the airline merged with Northwest Airlines. Since then, the airline has remained an important hub for Delta and sees several international services from Delta, including to Paris, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, and Seoul. Most of those services, however, are suspended.
Nevertheless, MSP currently sees service on 130 routes from various airlines, mostly from Delta. In September, MSP airport notched an average of 288 daily departures, versus 508 back in September 2019. By October, the airport expects average daily departures to rise to 300, much of that thanks to Delta, which uses the airport as a major connecting hub.
Are you glad to see Delta resume this route? Will you be flying between Amsterdam and Minneapolis? Let us know in the comments!
