Delta’s ‘Route Race’ – asking customers and employees to pick their next destination in Europe – has ended with two winners: both Sardinia and Malta will get New York JFK nonstops for summer 2026.
Delta’s “let the people vote” experiment has ended. They asked SkyMiles members and Delta employees to pick the next Mediterranean island for summer 2026, but in the end they didn’t pick just one winner. Delta says members backed Sardinia, while employees went for Malta, and they’ve decided to fly to both.
In August I wrote about the novel five-day, app-only vote between Ibiza, Malta, and Olbia (Sardinia) to “decide” a new Europe route for summer. I suggested that this looked a lot like engagement farming (collect logins, opt-ins, push permissions) and predicted the winner would almost certainly be a New York JFK 767 with a late evening departure and tight turn on the Europe side. While they hadn’t revealed the U.S. hub or aircraft that would operate the routes people were voting for, that’s exactly what we got.
Two weeks later, I shared leaked results indicating Sardinia “wasn’t close” and crushed Ibiza and Malta. That leak was right about Sardinia’s popularity—though Delta ultimately added both Sardinia (member choice) and Malta (employee choice).
Delta says nearly 150,000 people voted during the Aug 25 – 29 window (the promotion’s real prize may have been app engagement).
- New York JFK – Olbia, 6:25 p.m. – 9:00 a.m.+1 (Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri) starts May 20, 2026
Olbia – New York JFK, 11:00 a.m. – 2:35 p.m. (Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat) - New York JFK – Malta, 5:00 p.m. – 8:20 a.m.+1 (Sun/Wed/Fri) starts June 7, 2026
Malta – New York JFK, 10:20 a.m. – 2:50 p.m. (Mon/Thu/Sat)
Delta becomes the only U.S. carrier flying to these destinations, and promotes themselves as the largest U.S. carrier to Italy (Rome, Milan, Venice, Naples, Catania).
Sardinia is the premium-leisure standout — Costa Smeralda money, limited nonstop competition, and reliable summer demand for front-cabin seats. There are some great Marriott properties to redeem points at there. I wrote initially that this was the strongest bet to sell out business class.
Malta makes sense as a culturally rich, compact destination that punches above its weight with and offers English language ease — plus a tourism board and airport that clearly want U.S. service offering subsidies. Without the destination offering cash I doubt the route economics would work, even for seasonal summer non-daily service.
Delta asked the public to pick “one” new route and they ended up launching two. I suspect they were always going to launch two. And it’s a win to see new non-stop destinations. We might even see some decent SkyMiles redemptions, at least in economy, on these routes.
If we don’t see those SkyMiles deals? Well, it’s more likely that the flights are selling out and return for summer 2027. And if they’re performing especially well, then Newark non-stops to both places on United are near certainties for 2027 and beyond.
Called it. Rigged from start. PR stunt.
@ Gary — They must have extra POS 763s laying around.
@Gene – I was just about to say, “let me guess, in those god-awful 763s,” LOL!
That said, happy to see more connectivity across the Delta network.
As 1990 says, was never a ‘popular vote’ contest or decision. A major airline simply doesn’t work that way.
@1990 — Yep! You called it.
@Gene — No comment on the “great Marriott properties” in Sardinia? Oxymoron perhaps?
@Parker — Woohoo!
@1990 and @Michael Harrison are correct. It’s not a real vote. If the airlines listened to us, the United tulip livery would be back in some form, blue/red or blue or something.
Wonder if @AlanZ is pleased with the Malta connection?
@L737 — I’d give it a Zoidberg ‘woop woop woop’ (also made it in S13E1).
@derek — Speaking of United, if we’re submitting requests, I’d like a new safety video, please. Enough of the ‘blue balls’ they have going around these days… (and, oof, so many variations on Rhapsody in Blue…)
great to know that those 767s that are flying DL’s most profitable route (JFK-LAX) can also be used to add two more dots to DL’s route map, including to a high end market.
@Tim Dunn — So, they’re using the 764 with the updated DeltaOne suites (no door)? If so, that’s a nice ‘bird’ to fly on.
I’ll look forward to the opportunity to cash in a half-million SkyPesos each way for an antiquated 767 business-class seat.
for tomorrow DL has 5 764s on JFK-LAX and the rest (4 or so) on 763s. as peak summer TATL winds down, DL is certain to use the 764s on as many prime domestic routes as possible.
DL does know the strengths and weaknesses of each type in its fleet and does use them where they make the most sense.
DL’s SEA TPAC routes started on 763s, went to 339s, and will be almost all 359s by next summer.