Tampa International Airport (TPA) just scored a big win over Delta Air Lines.
The Atlanta-based airline will restart daily flights from TPA to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) on October 26, Delta announced Friday.
Delta will deploy an Airbus A330-300 on the 4,613-mile route. The wide-body jet features 34 Delta One cabins in a reverse herringbone configuration, 21 Premium Select recliners, 24 Comfort+ seats with extra legroom and 203 standard economy seats.
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The flight will depart Tampa at 7:55 p.m. and arrive in Amsterdam at 10:45 a.m. the next day. It will then depart Amsterdam at 12:35 pm and land in Tampa at 4:55 pm the same day.
The route will operate daily during the peak winter season and complements the airline’s existing portfolio of direct flights to Amsterdam. In fact, Delta already serves the Dutch city from nine US gateways, including Atlanta; Boston; Detroit; Minneapolis-St. Paul; New York; Orlando; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; and Seattle.
While Delta’s network is typically configured in a hub-and-spoke model, this Tampa route is technically the airline’s point-to-point route. The airline does not operate a hub in either city, but the route should have no trouble operating in peak winter.
That’s because Delta’s transatlantic joint venture partner KLM operates a hub in Amsterdam that will offer travelers more than 100 one-stop itineraries to Tampa from Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India. In fact, I imagine that this route will appeal even more to winter-weary Europeans than to Floridians looking for a European midwinter getaway.
“By seamlessly linking the vibrant international hub of Amsterdam—the most served airport in Europe—with the famous beaches of Tampa Bay, Delta is offering customers a gateway to discover the best of Europe and America.” Middle East, Africa and India, in a statement.
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Technically, this Tampa-to-Amsterdam route represents Delta’s resumption. It last operated it in winter 2019 before phasing it out for five years due to the pandemic.
Previously, Delta deployed a 226-seat Boeing 767-300ER on this route, so this resumption also represents an increase in Delta’s capacity.
In addition to the Amsterdam route, Delta’s other transatlantic joint venture partner, Virgin Atlantic, flies from Tampa to London. (This route was implemented during the 2022 pandemic.)
Tampa also has transatlantic service by Lufthana subsidiary Discover Airlines to Frankfurt, as well as British Airways service to London Gatwick Airport (LGW).
Separately, Delta will make another change to its long-haul network later this week. The airline’s Los Angeles to Auckland route launched in October, initially expected to operate year-round. However, due to lower-than-expected demand during the Northern Hemisphere summer, the carrier will convert this service to a winter-only service in the future.
All affected travelers will be offered alternative flight options or a full refund.
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