Sec. Pete Buttigieg is pushing airlines to upgrade customer service
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg explains how he’s pushing for “more convenient” air travel across the U.S.
Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
If you’re hoping to escape to a beach for a winter getaway this year, Delta Air Lines wants to help get you there. The U.S. airline is adding 20% more seasonal routes, making it the airline’s largest holiday schedule in its history.
Operating from Dec. 16 through Jan. 7, the seasonal flights will depart daily from Delta’s Atlanta (ATL), New York (JFK), Detroit (DTW) and Minneapolis (MSP) hubs to 44 of its warm-weather destinations throughout Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Those hoping to visit the Caribbean are especially in luck, as this is Delta’s largest holiday schedule to the area, with more flights to their top Latin American destinations, San Juan (SJU), Santo Domingo (SDQ) and Santiago (STI).
The airline is adding a nonstop flight from Minneapolis to Cozumel, Mexico, this holiday season, which will depart thrice a week. Flights from Atlanta to Roatan, Honduras, will be going from just departing only on Saturday to daily.
Daily flights to Cancun, Mexico, will increase by one from JFK, ATL and DTW – this means passengers can pick from seven daily flights from ATL to Cancun.
Is Mexico travel safe? What to know about visiting Cabo, Cancun, Playa del Carmen and more
French toast and tortellini: Delta Air Lines brings back kids meals on many flights
“This growth comes as Delta works toward full restoration of its network after operating at 85% overall capacity in 2022, with a key focus on its U.S. hubs,” the airline said in a press release. Passengers can also breath a sigh of relief booking with Delta, since it was the major U.S. airline with the best on-time performance last year – it was also the only U.S. airline with more than 80% of its flights arriving within 15 minutes of its scheduled time on average, according to the Department of Transportation.
People can start snagging their seasonal flights, which went on sale Saturday.
Here is the 2023 holiday flight schedule from Delta Air Lines:
From JFK:
- Cancun, Mexico (CUN): 2→3 daily flights
- Nassau, Bahamas (NAS): 1→2 daily flights
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ): 1→2 daily flights
- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (SDQ): 3→4 daily flights
- San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU): 3→4 daily flights
- Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI): 3→4 daily flights
From ATL:
- Aruba (AUA): 1→2 daily flights
- Cancun, Mexico (CUN): 6→7 daily flights
- Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR): 1→2 daily flights
- San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO): 1→2 daily flights
- Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ): 3→4 daily flights
- San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU): 4→5 daily flights
- Mexico City (MEX): 4→5 daily flights
- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (PVR): 1→2 daily flights
- Roatan, Honduras (RTB): Saturday→daily flights
From DTW:
- Cancun, Mexico (CUN): 3→4 daily flights
From MSP:
- Cozumel, Mexico (CZM): Monday, Wednesday, Saturday
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com