Ah, the airline amenities of yesteryear. Where did they go?
By Patrick Smith Mar. 10, 2006 | There’s stirring news afoot courtesy of Delta Air Lines. On several occasions since this column’s inception, I’ve lamented the surprising fact that no U.S. passenger carrier offers scheduled service to any destination in Africa. Beginning in December, Delta intends to change that, inaugurating daily flights between its Atlanta superhub and Johannesburg, South Africa. Don’t uncork the champagne just yet. December is a long way off, and we’ve already been through one false start. Last spring, Continental Airlines nixed its plans to commence flying between Newark and Nigeria only a few months prior to launch. Continental called the decision a postponement, but has yet to reveal a new timetable. Atlanta-Joburg covers a whopping 7,334 nautical miles in each direction. (On a list of the world’s longest flights, as they exist today, it would place fourth.) That’s slightly beyond the capabilities of Delta’s longest-range aircraft, the Boeing 777 — Johannesburg
