Delta to Paris + Lufthansa to Florida + Beijing-Newark + BA First class

In route news, Delta will begin a new non-hub route to Paris; Lufthansa starts flying to another U.S. gateway; Air China adds a U.S. destination; Norwegian will start a pair of routes to Ireland; and British Airways upgrades its San Diego route.

Delta has scheduled a May 12 start for new service linking North Carolina’s Research Triangle to Europe, with daily flights between Raleigh-Durham and Paris Charles de Gaulle. The airline will use a 164-seat 757-200ER. Meanwhile, Delta also said it will increase service effective May 26 between New York JFK and Tel Aviv, boosting frequencies from seven to 11 a week. The new flights will use a 777-200ER equipped with in-flight Wi-Fi. Delta said that Tel Aviv is its third-largest transatlantic market from New York. (American recently announced it will drop its only Tel Aviv route — from Philadelphia — in January.)

Lufthansa has started flying to its 18th U.S. destination with the inauguration of service between Tampa and Frankfurt. The airline will operate five weekly flights on the route until October 25, when it will reduce the number to four. Lufthansa is using a 298-seat A340-300 with business class, premium economy and regular economy seating. The aircraft is equipped with the carrier’s FlyNet broadband Internet service.

Although it already flies twice a day from New York JFK to Beijing, Air China will give tri-state area travelers the option of Newark departures starting October 26. The airline said it will operate the route four times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday) with a three-class 777-300ER. On September 29, Air China is due to launch new non-stops between Montreal and Beijing.

European low-cost carrier Norwegian, which recently announced plans to start service next year from Boston to Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen, plans to add another BOS route as well. In May 2016, the carrier will kick off new service between Boston and Cork, Ireland, with flights operating four or five times a week using a 737-800. The route will be operated by the company’s Irish subsidiary, Norwegian Air International. And in 2017, Norwegian intends to begin service between Cork and New York.

On March 27 of next year, British Airways will upgrade the equipment on its San Diego-London Heathrow route from a 777-200 to a 777-300. The difference? The -300 can take 24 more passengers, and it has something the -200 lacks: a first class cabin. The 777-300 will offer 14 seats in first class, 56 in business, 44 in premium economy and 183 in regular economy.

NOTE: Be sure to click here to see all recent TravelSkills posts about: SFO could get world’s longest flight + PreCheck: Fewer free rides + Plight of the tall traveler + Photos: New United first class seat + 6 secrets for snagging low fares