Delta’s plan to announce new service to both Israel and Saudi Arabia just leaked. According to aviation watchdog JonNYC, the carrier intends to announce both flights from Atlanta:
- Atlanta – Tel Aviv, complementing existing service from New York JFK
- Atlanta – Riyadh, as part of a planned joint venture with new state-backed Riyadh Air
Also going to announce ATL-RUH at the end of the year and ATL-TLV coming back (barring any more complications there)
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) July 12, 2025
Delta serving Saudi Arabia, in partnership with a government-funded ultra-premium airline, is absolutely shameless.
They spent 2015 through 2019 lobbying the U.S. federal government to block flying by major Gulf airlines on the basis that they were backed by their governments and therefore it was ‘unfair’ to have to compete against them. Delta is the most profitable airline in the world, the U.S. has treaty obligations to allow these airlines to fly, and they bring options and lower prices to U.S. consumers. However the goal was protectionism for Delta shareholders.
CEO Ed Bastian managed to corral United Airlines and American to go along with these efforts. American even dropped partnership efforts with Etihad and Qatar Airways.
After going nowhere during the Obama administration, Delta’s campaign culminated in an Oval Office meeting with President Trump where Trump chastised then-American CEO Doug Parker for his airline’s flailing stock price. (Bastian skipped the meeting.)
This was a self-interested effort that failed, and since then United Airlines has gone on to partner with Emirates and American has worked more closely with Qatar Airways. Now Delta is talking about sharing revenue with the biggest state-backed launch of a new airline in history.
Delta is against subsidies when it benefits them, and for subsidies when it benefits them, the key determinant of whether or not a policy is good is whether it benefits Delta.
Need I mention the nearly $10 billion in direct taxpayer cash that Delta took during the pandemic, ostensibly to keep people employed that they publicly stated they weren’t going to lay off, all the while shedding workforce that damaged their reliability throughout 2021 and 2022?
Delta also promised no cooperation with a Saudi Arabian airline as it fended off accusations of antisemitism. Of course, times change, could Saudi Arabia join the Abraham Accords and recognize Israel?
Much has changed in that nation, but I should add that it will be interesting to see what happens when a union-organizing flight attendant wears an AFA Pride pin landing in Riyadh.
Meanwhile, the introduction of Atlanta – Tel Aviv (not a large non-stop market, but a feeder of connecting traffic), hinges on developments in the Mideast between now and end of year. If the situation there normalizes – and it could even improve – this is a logical add.
With Iran’s capability to power project in the region crippled (their proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza have all been knee-capped, and Israel had no problem gaining air superiority over the entirety of their country), and having shot missiles at its best ally in the region Qatar, there’s a new chance for peace that includes a joint Arab-administered Gaza and true normalization with Israel.
The last 21 months have been brutal for Israel, but the move by Iran via Hamas to interrupt Saudi-Israeli relations and wreak havoc through brutal murder and rape of civilans on October 7th could go down as a truly collosal blunder by anti-Israel forces.
Did you expect a corporation to be altruistic?
@ Gary — Wanna bet the Israel service is suspended before it begins?
You could have simply said “times change” for every piece of historical information. It’s great to know the past but even better to learn from it and hold loosely to it.
AA received more government aid than any other airline in the world during covid.
Delta can make any route from ATL that works from anywhere else in the US.
and the possibility is pretty high that these two routes will lead to Joint Ventures with LY and RX something that will not happen for AA or UA to those countries
hopefully peace w take root in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is better positioned to help make that happen that any Arab country.
And yet, Delta did not lay any mainline employees off during the pandemic. Enough people took a package or leaves of absence to prevent layoffs from happening.
@ Tim — Peace will not occur in the ME as long as Netanyahu is in charge, since peace in counter to his primary objective (perpetual war to keep his job and stay out of prison).
I’ll take a bombardier class ticket…Saudi is changing slowly. Just saw a cruise ship schedule with a planned Red Sea stop there (if and when that route is used again).
If “ Delta can make any route from ATL that works from anywhere else in the US,” one has to wonder why routes from ATL are ended for poor performance. One also wonders why we need any other airline or hub when Delta is so freaking fantastic and ATL can do it all.
For all the pearl-clutching DL did when they tried to make in the ME3, I find it rich that they choose to cozy up next to an airline owned by a state who has sponsored the murder of independent journalists, treat women like second class citizens, refuses diplomatic ties with Israel, and exercises sharia law with respect to things they find immoral.
Guess I shouldn’t be terribly surprised given America’s malfunctioning moral compass.
Shameless? Bah! As if American’s partnership with Qatar and United’s with Emirates isn’t. Sure, it would be nice for us consumers to be able to take Emirates from JFK-MIA, but that’s not what’s happening here. Listen, I’m no fan of bone saws, but we should want MBS to succeed to the degree that it keeps Saudi Arabia on a more ‘moderate’ path (for that part of the world). So, let Delta fly to Saudi. Maybe we can visit those new luxury resorts in the Red Sea or ulUla. Seems nice.
Parker
it is only a matter of time when the same charges could be leveled against Saudi Arabia that were leveled against other countries including in the Middle East.
and DL loves competition. Everyone else has to compete with ATL which is not the world’s largest hub but adding international flights which make it one of the US’ most globally connected airports on one airline. Having the 3rd largest European hub – behind UA at EWR and DL at JFK, the 2nd largest hub to Latin America (behind AA at MIA) and the only other hub besides DFW outside of the west coast to serve 2 or more cities in E. Asia – and the largest US carrier gateway to Africa – all under the same “roof” is unmatched in US aviation.
It isn’t that it is first in any category but that it is so strong in so many categories that make DL at ATL a force to be reckoned with.
@Tim Dunn — If I ever need a promoter, I’d hire you, because wow, you’re making me want to switch my delayed United flight today to anything with Delta. Bah!
(The Solato gelato machine in the United Club was pretty good though… almost worth the wait. Yeah, it’s weather and FAA at EWR. Still.)
If there is weather at EWR…there is a good chance JFK and LGA has it, too.