In September 2017, Delta announced the addition of more non-stop flights to Europe from Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, and Detroit. Beginning this summer, the new routes will mark a major expansion in the airline's trans-Atlantic schedule—and more importantly, will help travelers get to their holiday destinations without any tedious layovers. And in this particular case, those European holiday destinations include Paris, Amsterdam, the Azores, and Lisbon.
As excited as we are at the prospect of spending summer strolling by the Seine or Herengracht, we're most excited about the stop other people probably scrolled right past: the Azores, one of our top destinations of 2017. This Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic has beaches, jungles, and an elusive allure; it's particularly elusive for American travelers, as there is currently only one non-stop flight available from the U.S.: Boston to Ponta Delgada, via Azores Airlines.
That's all about to change, now that Delta will start running seasonal service from New York's JFK to the Azores on May 24. There's one flight available: You'll depart JFK at 8:30 p.m. and arrive in Ponta Delgada at 7:30 a.m. the next day (operating all days except Monday and Wednesday). And on the way back, you can fly out any day except Tuesday and Thursday—Delta leaves at 9:15 a.m. and returns to New York at 10:15 a.m. on the same day, thanks to the four-hour time difference and six-hour flight time. Bookings are available now, and are currently priced in $600-$700 range, round-trip.
So why exactly are we daydreaming of these nine Portuguese islands with a population of roughly 245,000? Here are three reasons we're booking flights to the Azores—and why you should, too.
Adventure
The archipelago is made for outdoor exploration. As with all volcanic islands, there are steep cliffs for canyoning and mountains for multi-hour hiking trips, and its mid-Atlantic location means you have prime marine life viewing, including scuba diving with sharks for the more extreme swimmers. There's even a paragliding festival every August.
Natural beauty
The verdant valleys, steep ocean-side cliffs, rows of blue hydrangeas, and scattering of waterfalls make the Azores a paradise worth exploring. One of the most popular vistas is on top of the Sete Cidades crater on São Miguel Island, where you can look down on two stunning lakes—one blue, one green. Don't miss the island of Pico, known for its UNESCO-listed vineyards, as well as the dolphin and whale populations that gather off its coasts.
Food cooked by volcanoes
As previously reported for Traveler, largest island São Miguel is home to a traditional stew that is cooked in a very non-traditional way: inside an underground, volcano-heated steam chamber. The dish, called cozido das Furnas, consists of seven types of meat and various vegetables, and is served all over the island, including at famed restaurant Terra Nostra Garden.
You already know about the upcoming direct Delta flights, but if you can't wait until May, there are flight deals floating around right now (we understand). Check out these Azores Getaways packages, which pair a trip to the islands—say, on São Miguel—with time in nearby cities like Lisbon.
This article was originally published in 2017. It has been updated with new information.