A short time after announcing three new long-haul routes, Delta Air Lines has made two significant adjustments to the plans it announced a few weeks ago. The first change is to the aircraft that will service Delta’s route from Los Angeles to Tahiti, and the second is the start date of its new route to Tel Aviv from Atlanta.

Atlanta to Tel Aviv

Delta recently announced that it would service Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) from the Hartsfield – Jackson Atlanta International Airport, from May 10, 2023. According to Cirium, Delta has since changed its plans and the new route will begin two months earlier than planned. Operations on the ATL-TLV route are now set to begin on March 26, 2023. Technically speaking, this is not a new route for Delta. The airline previously flew from Atlanta to Tel Aviv from March 2006 to August 2011.

The “new” route comes at a time that Delta is capitalizing on flights to Israel. The airline recently inaugurated service from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Tel Aviv, currently services Tel Aviv from its New York City hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and in March will be launching service from its biggest hub in Atlanta. Current plans show that Delta will deploy its Airbus A350-900 aircraft acquired from LATAM Airlines on the ATL-TLV route. The ex-LATAM Airbus A350s have not received a full cabin remodel since entering into service for Delta and have a different business class from most aircraft, including the Delta One Suites on Delta’s A350s not acquired from LATAM. These feature a business class configuration of 2-2-2 and do not have a premium economy cabin. Both of these things could change in the future as Delta may decide to retrofit its business cabin on the ex-LATAM A350s.

Spring travel to Israel is popular because of many holidays, including Passover, Israel’s Independence Day, and Memorial Day. The new route will also be launched in time for Easter, and in plenty of time for spring break travel.

Los Angeles to Tahiti

Delta’s new route from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Papeete just got a major upgrade, according to Cirium. The original plans were to service the LAX-PPT route with the Boeing 767-300, of which Delta has multiple configurations. When the service was first announced, it was not clear which of the 767-300 would be deployed on the route. Since the announcement, Delta has upgraded the route to be serviced by its newest 767-300 configuration, the 76K variant. This variant is configured with an 18-seat Premium Select cabin located right behind business class.

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Premium economy offering

Tickets are now on sale for premium economy on Delta’s new route to Tahiti. The premium economy seats offer much more comfort than the regular economy cabin, with more recline and intimate space. The premium economy cabin is configured in a 2-2-2 arrangement. With only six rows in the cabin and the seats grouped in pairs, it is a great option for couples traveling together.