The Mercury News

Delta to fly nonstop San JoseNew York

- By George Avalos gavalos@bayareanew­sgroup.com

SAN JOSE >> Delta Air Lines will launch coast-to-coast nonstop service connecting San Jose and New York City by the middle of 2018, the carrier announced Tuesday.

“New York remains the most sought-after destinatio­n for Silicon Valley business and leisure travelers,” San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said Tuesday. “We enthusiast­ically welcome Delta Air Lines’ plans to add a new nonstop flight to JFK.”

Starting on June 8, Delta intends to launch the service between Mineta San Jose Internatio­nal Airport and John F. Kennedy Internatio­nal Airport in the Queens borough of New York City.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from our Bay Area customers that nonstop service to New York City is important to them,” said Ranjan Goswami, Delta’s vice president of sales.

It will be a red-eye trip out of San Jose. Flights are scheduled to depart daily from San Jose at 10:35 p.m. and arrive in New York at 7:15 a.m. the next morning. Flights from JFK in New York will leave daily at 8:15 a.m. and arrive in San Jose the same day at 11:45 a.m.

“In addition to New York City

access, this flight enables convenient connection­s to dozens of cities at our JFK hub to the Northeast and internatio­nally,” Goswami said.

San Jose officials believe the new service can cater especially to Silicon Valley business travelers.

“This new service is a

big win for our passengers,” said John Aitken, San Jose’s director of aviation. “We see this flight as especially great for New York-based business travelers who can arrive in Silicon Valley in time for a lunch meeting and can even travel home that same night if they wish.”

Boeing 737-800 aircraft will be used for the new Delta service to New York City. The planes will be equipped with on-demand

entertainm­ent, power ports and in-flight Wi-Fi access at every seat. Delta will offer seating for 16 in First Class, 36 in Comfort+ and 108 in the main cabin, the carrier said.

Delta currently offers more than 20 departures from San Jose on an average day, serving Las Vegas and the carrier’s hubs in Atlanta, Minneapoli­s/St. Paul, Los Angeles, Seattle and Salt Lake City.

JetBlue already operates daily nonstop flights between San Jose and JFK, while United and Alaska Airlines offer daily nonstop flights to Newark, New Jersey.

“With four carriers flying nonstop to New Yorkarea airports, San Jose airport now offers an even more desirable menu of flight options throughout the day,” Aitken said.

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