Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) inaugurated the first phase of expansion at LaGuardia Airport in New York on October 29, 2019. The airline is expanding the facility to cater to the growing operations with an investment of $3.3 billion.
Delta, the largest carrier at LaGuardia
Delta, which started flying from LaGuardia five decades ago, is a significant carrier at this airport. The airline operates 275 flights daily at this airport. Chief Executive Officer of Delta Airlines, Ed Bastian, stressed the need for investing in this beautiful facility to meet the growing operations.
Expanding facilities across the nation
Bastian said Delta is constructing a new facility in LAX in Los Angeles. The company would inaugurate the new airport in Salt Lake City in 2020. It is already operating a new airport in Seattle.
Delta plans to recruit 12,000 employees
In a recent interview, Bastian said the company is hiring ground staff, flight attendants, and pilots to support the expansion. The company will hire 6,000 employees by the end of this year. Its new employee count would reach 12,000 by 2020.
Delta reported record revenue of over $10 billion in Q1 2019. The company is putting back a portion of those revenues into remodeling of airports. As part of the expansion, the airline would equip airports with modern technology and updated security.
Faces fierce competition in Asia
Delta generates 80% of its revenues from Europe and the US. The company’s focus on Asia is less because flying to that continent is expensive and difficult. It faces a lot of competition from state-owned airlines in Asia. However, the airline is maintaining a footprint in Tokyo, China, and Seoul. The company plans to introduce a direct flight to India by the end of this year.
Offers door-to-door delivery
Delta, which established an alliance with Roadie, is the first airline in the nation to offer door to door delivery. Individual and business customers can avail pickup and delivery service 24 hours a day and seven days a week to over 55 cities in the US from Atlanta. Roadie facilitates same day delivery. Delta and Roadie plan to expand the service to more cities in the US by the end of 2019.
