Delta boosts Boston with extra flights, terminal takeover

Delta Air Lines will boost trans-Atlantic seats from Boston by more than 30 percent in 2020. The increase will include a new seasonal service to Rome as well as new flights to London-Gatwick and Manchester as well as a second daily service to Paris. WATCH a dramatic video of a landing at Queenstown. The carrier will also extend seasonal services between Boston and Edinburgh and Lisbon. That’s on top of new domestic services to be launched later this month to Chicago O'Hare, Newark-Liberty and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The announcement comes as the US carrier expanded its presence at Boston Logan International Airport’s Terminal A to assume control of all gates and is part of wider plans to add 780,000 seats between the US and Europe in 2020. "In addition to offering the most comprehensive schedule of any U.S. carrier across the Atlantic, we’ve invested significantly in our aircraft, service and products for customers traveling between the U.S. and Europe.” Delta northeast sales director Charlie Schewe said in a statement. “Now those investments are reflected on our larger gate footprint at Logan Airport as well.” The expansion at Terminal A will mean Delta will be the airline’s sole operator for the first time since 2005. The airline says it is the only terminal at Logan to offer the CLEAR biometric security service and the only airport facility with multiple club locations for a single airline. It says one of those Delta Sky Clubs will expand significantly by early next year to include new showers, as well as additional seating and a reimagined food and beverage area. Gate areas are also being refreshed with a modern look and feel to include new carpet, new seating and finishes, and more power. There will also be a range of new food and beverage concepts. The Boston expansion comes as Delta is planning double-digit growth out of New York-JFK, including a daytime London-Heathrow service. The carrier's Salt Lake City-London Heathrow flight will also become year-round and the operating season between Tampa, Florida and Amsterdam will be expanded in 2020. And starting in 2020, all the carrier’s trans-Atlantic flights over six and a half hours will feature its Delta One cabin and reinvented Main Cabin service.