Delta adds Madrid and Nice routes from Boston amid growing competition

Paul Baldoni, Delta's senior vice president of network planning, said in a statement: "As Boston's leading airline, Delta plays a vital role in connecting the city to the world. By adding nonstop service to Madrid and Nice, we're enhancing our European network and continuing our commitment to providing an exceptional travel experience from start to finish."

Boston has been a focus for Delta as it seeks to strengthen its position against competitors. While American Airlines and United Airlines have a smaller presence at BOS compared with Delta, JetBlue remains its main rival in the city. In 2019 data from Cirium showed JetBlue operated more flights than Delta out of Boston; however, since then Delta has surpassed JetBlue in total number of flights each year since 2023.

JetBlue continues as a strong competitor domestically and on transatlantic routes from Boston. This past summer JetBlue launched its own flight between BOS and MAD as well as service to Edinburgh Airport (EDI).

Delta did not confirm whether its new Madrid route was a direct response to JetBlue’s expansion but indicated that decisions are based on market demand. Amy Martin, vice president of network planning at Delta told TPG: "The true motivation is to fly the largest underserved transatlantic markets... We're flying places based on what we hear from customers, and looking at successes of existing markets."

Martin added that further growth is possible depending on available gate capacity at BOS: "We're always discussing how big we can make Boston," she said. "We're looking at domestic growth as well as international."

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