Delta expands beach, mountain flights to win back leisure flyers

Delta Air Lines Inc. is adding nine new routes and stepping up nonstop flights to popular mountain, beach and leisure destinations in a bid to lure more travelers away from home as the pandemic wanes.

Delta outlined the additions in a statement Friday, days after the Atlanta-based carrier and rivals said improved summer demand is showing signs that a recovery has begun, a year after the spread of Covid-19 nearly wiped out air travel.

Delta has banked on filling seats with higher-fare corporate travelers, with 50% of its 2019 passenger revenue coming from that segment. President Glen Hauenstein told investors earlier this week that corporate demand is coming back slowly but won’t return to normal until as much as a year after white-collar workers return to their offices.

In the meantime, the carrier is expanding efforts to capture people eager to take delayed vacations or gather for family reunions.

Flights are being added to ski destinations such as Bozeman, Glacier Park and Missoula, Montana, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as well as beach spots like Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Delta will also target several Caribbean islands when it resumes service starting June 5 from Atlanta to Grand Cayman, St. Kitts, Roatan and Bonaire. It’s also increasing flights to four destinations in New England.