Ever since the 1850s Bostonians have been claiming the city as The Hub, now over a century and a half later Delta Air Lines agrees. Citing strong growth at Boston Logan International Airport, the Atlanta-based carrier has upgraded the airport’s network status from a focus city to a full-on hub. This move bumps Boston (BOS) up as Delta's ninth U.S. hub and the newest since Seattle/Tacoma International Airport's (SEA) addition in 2014.

“We've been making significant investments in Boston this year… this has really enabled us to graduate Boston from what we consider a focus city to our newest coastal hub," said Managing Director of Domestic Network Planning, Amy Martin

"Boston is actually very well positioned geographically to be a connecting point for U.S. passengers going transatlantic," he added.

Transatlantic is the key word in that message as the timing of this promotion comes just a couple of months on the heels of rival JetBlue’s announcement that it would be entering the European market with service from Boston and New York-JFK to London.

As one of JetBlue’s biggest strongholds, BOS plays a significant role in the carrier's network, and this move by Delta is a direct shot at JetBlue’s dominance at the Bay State airport. In a separate announcement earlier this year, Delta stated that it would be servicing London-Gatwick airport from both BOS and JFK in 2020 furthering head-to-head competition with JetBlue should the carrier announce Gatwick as its landing spot in London.

Related: Airline Hub Guide: Which U.S. Cities Are Major Hubs and Why it Matters

Alongside the news of Boston Logan’s upgrade, Delta added Austin (AUS), Nashville (BNA), and San Jose (SJC) to its roster of focus cities, joining Raleigh/Durham (RDU) and Cincinnati (CVG), which was demoted from its hub role in 2017.

h/t FlightGlobal

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