Working with internal staff, Delta’s Flight Products team has created an additional layer of safety at airports for its customers, as well as the airline’s staff. Plexiglass safety barriers have been installed in airport check-in lobbies, at each departure gate, as well as at Delta Sky Club check-in counters.
The Atlanta-based carrier has often amazed the industry with its ability to move quickly to make major changes, and the manufacturing of more than 150 barriers daily in order to update all of its airport locations was no small feat.
Just in time for summer travel, most Covid-19 travel restrictions have been lifted, and at the same time, reservations for new and reinstated international flights have surged. While the virus hasn’t been eradicated and probably never will be, the world is moving forward, with adjustments being made so that life can return to a semblance of normal.
Here’s what’s new and exciting at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport:
Brand-new non-stop service to Quebec’s largest city, Montreal, via Air Canada, starts June 1 (If you haven’t been here, plan a visit soon. This is a fabulous destination that brings France that much closer to home.)
Condor Airlines’ Frankfurt, Germany non-stops also return on June 1, connecting the Twin Cities with the heart of Europe. Connect here via partner carrier Lufthansa to cities throughout Europe, and beyond.
Air France non-stops to Paris resumed on May 9. The “City of Light” makes for a wonderful vacation, or connect via AF to European, Middle East and African destinations with ease.
If you haven’t been to Iceland (I visited last September and will definitely be returning to this otherworldly country), you will be in awe of this spectacular island nation. Icelandair’s non-stop flights to Reykjavik returned on April 28, and Delta’s start back up on May 26.
Vancouver, British Columbia service has also returned, with Delta non-stops operating since May 5. Sun Country has announced twice-weekly summer season flights, as well, effective June 15.
For summer international travelers, Delta also flies non-stop from MSP to London-Heathrow, while both Delta and KLM offer direct service to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. AMS is another great place to make quick connections to destinations throughout Europe, Scandinavia, the Middle East and Africa.
At the present time Delta doesn’t plan to reinstate non-stop service to Tokyo and Seoul until October of this year, at the earliest. The Atlanta-based carrier’s schedule, as well as those of virtually all airlines, is being severely impacted by a shortage of staff, including cockpit crew and flight attendants.
For those of us who have been around long enough, you probably remember the words of Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon back in 1969.
While it isn’t quite as monumental as that, the news that Alaska Airlines is no longer using single-use throwaway plastic bottles of water on its flights, to me, is a huge step forward for the airline industry. And hopefully, for other uses of plastic beyond flying.
Beginning November 4, Alaska is switching to a water branded as “Boxed Water is Better”, a company that uses 92% plant-based cartons instead of plastic bottles. While the airline will continue to use plastic cups to serve other cold beverages, certainly it’s just a matter of time before this changes too.
Not to be outdone by the aggressive expansion of the Jet Blue/American Airlines relationship throughout the Northeast corridor, Delta Air LInes has announced a dramatic increase in capacity that brings back nonstop service to the 40 largest city-pairs from both JFK International and LaGuardia airports.
Minneapolis/St. Paul-based Sun Country Airlines has released details about its spring-to-fall 2022 flight schedule from MSP, with some returning destinations as well as some unexpected new spots being added.
Since raising $218 million in its IPO last spring, owner Apollo Management Group in New York has begun an expansion of the low-fare carrier which calls Terminal 2 (Humphrey) home at the Twin Cities airport. Staying away from the big boys, especially the dominant hub carrier at MSP, Delta Air Lines, Sun Country typically offers one flight daily, if that, to many of its destinations.
The world according to Covid is a far cry from life before the virus. With more than 700,00 Americans now dead from Covid-19 and nearly 5 million worldwide having lost their lives, it isn’t surprising that many people have gone a bit bonkers due to mask requirements, vaccines, restaurants closed or only serving take-away food, and most cultural events from concerts to museums to sporting events cancelled or severly restricted.
iflyMSP 