DETROIT, July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today begins nonstop service between Detroit and Beijing, expanding its Asian gateway in Detroit with flights to a third city in China.

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The flight will operate five days each week on 269-seat Boeing 777 aircraft featuring full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, as well as Delta's new Economy Comfort class, which offers additional legroom and early boarding.

This summer, Delta will operate 44 weekly flights between Detroit and six Asian cities. Delta now serves three Chinese cities nonstop from Detroit – Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. The airline also offers nonstop service from Detroit to Seoul, South Korea; as well as Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan.

"With our new nonstop service between Detroit and Beijing, Delta continues to build our industry-leading trans-Pacific network, which provides convenient travel choices for our customers traveling to cities across Asia," said Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president – Asia Pacific. "As a major gateway to the region, our Detroit hub is a key part of our Asian network, and our new flight to Beijing will mean even more opportunities for economic development and job growth in the city."

Delta's Detroit-Beijing schedule:

Delta has expanded significantly into China in recent years and will operate 47 weekly flights out of China this summer. In addition to the new Detroit service, Delta recently began weekly nonstop service between Atlanta and Shanghai. Delta also offers service from Beijing to Seattle and Tokyo-Narita; Shanghai to Detroit and Tokyo-Narita; and Hong Kong to Detroit and Tokyo-Narita.

On June 1, Delta announced a new codesharing agreement with China Eastern, one of China's largest international airlines, which will allow U.S. customers to enjoy convenient connecting service from Shanghai to more than 20 cities throughout China. The new agreement complements Delta's existing codeshare with China Southern Airlines, providing Delta customers access to an extensive network throughout China.

On June 21, China Eastern officially joined Delta, Air France, KLM and other members of the SkyTeam international airline alliance. With membership that now includes China Eastern, China Southern, Shanghai Airlines and China Airlines, SkyTeam has emerged as the leading alliance serving China.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 160 million customers each year, and was named by Fortune magazine as the most admired airline worldwide in its 2011 World's Most Admired Companies airline industry list. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 355 destinations in 65 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. A founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance, Delta participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 13,000 daily flights, with hubs in Amsterdam, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New York-JFK, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City and Tokyo-Narita. The airline's service includes the SkyMiles frequent flier program, a world-class airline loyalty program; the award-winning BusinessElite service; and more than 50 Delta Sky Clubs in airports worldwide. Delta is investing more than $2 billion through 2013 in airport facilities and global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Customers can check in for flights, print boarding passes, check bags and review flight status at delta.com.

SOURCE Delta Air Lines