A new Delta Air Lines’ route to Boston takes off today in addition to the airline’s Edinburgh to New York JFK service which will become year round in 2019.
This means that there is a US connection from Edinburgh airport every day this summer.
Delta began its JFK route in 2016and along with joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic they will offer up to four daily flights from Scotland to three destinations this summer.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson joined executives from Delta, Edinburgh Airport and VisitScotland for the ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to departure, while a bagpiper offered a traditional welcome to guests on the inbound flight from Boston.
The minister said : “It’s fantastic to see this new service get off the ground, highlighting and strengthening the longstanding economic and cultural links between Scotland and the United States.
“Not only will this route bring real benefits for Scottish businesses, giving them greater access to important American markets, but it will also help boost our tourism industry by making it even easier for visitors to get a taste of the fantastic experiences Edinburgh, and Scotland as a whole, have to offer. I congratulate Edinburgh Airport and Delta on the launch of this new service and have no doubt it will prove popular with travellers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Roberto Ioriatti, Delta’s vice president Transatlantic said: “Delta’s new flight is the only nonstop link between Edinburgh and Boston. Having seen steady growth of customers on our New York service over the past three years, we are confident that Boston will be another popular destination providing more choice to our customers in Scotland and the United States. From our Boston hub, customers can connect onto 17 destinations with a short layover.”
The United States is the largest inbound visitor market to Scotland. The latest data from the International Passenger Survey shows that 414,000 U.S. travellers visited Scotland between January and September 2018.
“North American visitors are one of our biggest international markets and expanding routes to this part of the world offers even more opportunity for people to come to Scotland and experience our fantastic country for themselves. It also opens our horizons and connects Scotland to the world so we can visit both for leisure and do business in a new market,” said Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said. “We’re excited to add Boston to our destination list and look forward to working with Delta to deliver a successful route that provides more choice for passengers and demonstrates the airport’s international outlook.”
Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “The US market continues to perform strongly for Scotland and remains the single biggest inbound market. Despite Brexit uncertainties, US operators tell us that consumer confidence in Scotland is high, driven by our stunning landscapes and rich history and heritage. This new route from Boston to Edinburgh expands Delta’s existing New York service to the Scottish capital. This will provide Scottish tourism businesses with an opportunity to reach and encourage more US travellers and operators to choose Scotland as their next must-see destination.”
Delta’s nonstop flight between Edinburgh and Boston is scheduled as follows:
| Flight | Departs | Arrives |
| DL123 | Edinburgh at 10:40 | Boston at 12:49 |
| DL122 | Boston at 21:53 | Edinburgh at 09:25 (next day) |
The Edinburgh-Boston flight is operated using a Boeing 757-200 aircraft with 164 seats. Delta continues to invest in the customer experience at its airports and in-flight. Through Wi-Fi connectivity, customers throughout the aircraft have access to free mobile messaging while on board via iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Delta also offers menu cards for all customers and amenity kits in premium cabins plus pillows and blankets for increased comfort for Main Cabin customers.
More information here delta.comÂ
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
