Delta isn’t just coming for United’s $384 million cash cow Newark – Los Angeles route. Aviation watchdog JonNYC says they’re planning to add Los Angeles – Philadelphia and Los Angeles – Washington Dulles as well – and that they saw an opportunity at Newark and seized it, moving up their long-run plan for the route by four years.
- United is gate constrained in Los Angeles
- American is temporarily gate-constrained as work continues on their terminal
- Delta has already become the largest carrier at LAX. By my count the only large domestic market they won’t serve from the airport after adding Philadelphia and Washington Dulles is American’s Charlotte hub.
So, ORD transcon having already been announced, DL LAX-EWR was originally planned for 2030! This is quite a move-up in that department.
That means LAX-IAD and LAX-PHL wont be too far behind at this point (next 2 years in any case.)— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) June 27, 2026
In addition to adding the just-announced Los Angeles – Newark route, Delta has service to competitor hubs from Los Angeles at Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Houston – they’re substantially outgunned by American and Delta in each city where those airlines have hubs. Delta isn’t trying to be the number one player in each city pair. They just want to offer some service so that their customers don’t have to fly a competitor if they’d prefer to fly Delta (enough for a less-convenient schedule).
They also have service to Honolulu, which is now an Alaska Airlines hub, as well as direct to other Hawaiian airlines. Delta has become the largest carrier in Los Angeles with the most flight and seats from LAX.
Data from aviation analytics company Cirium shows the relative position of the major airlines at LAX for July (including their regional carriers):
| Flights | Seats | ASMs | |
| Delta | 9,512 | 1,529,742 | 2,684,656,571 |
| American | 8,941 | 1,360,346 | 2,721,481,449 |
| United | 8,696 | 1,451,910 | 2,857,031,041 |
| Southwest | 4,626 | 750,118 | 719,823,327 |
| Alaska | 3,728 | 565,516 | 810,534,501 |
| JetBlue | 1,507 | 240,031 | 592,318,722 |
Delta Air Lines at LAX
Delta thinks they can make a play to ‘win LA’ while competitors falter at the airport. And that means offering service to the places Angelenos want to go.
Won’t this hurt Delta hubs since those who really need to be in their destination for work will take the nonstop? Price sensitive leisure travelers may take one or two connections to save money but not business travelers. It also seems like a risky bet on Los Angeles at a time when California is declining in population and economic might.
Dallas seems like the one competitor hub where Delta should expand. Hugely expanding local market. More and more corporate offices. A large existing Delta presence from when Delta used to have a hub here in the 1980s. And a decent domestic presence already. Dallas seems more logical than Philadelphia or even Newark.
A lot of capacity, and a lot of competition. No one owns LAX and never has. It’s a 4 way race between DL, AA, UA, and WN, with AS also having a large presence there, albeit chasing a different market.
DL is dumping capacity on LAX in the hope it will adequately feed its long haul operation there that is growing, but generally doesn’t work all that well.
Additionally, Delta has spent billions overhauling terminals 2 and 3 and the rest of its LAX footprint and so must recoup the costs.
The US is headed for a debt default, a recession, and a period of stagflation. Corporate traffic to and from LA is solid, but not as mighty as it once ways.
again,
I have said multiple times that other airline hubs are the opportunity for any airline to grow at LAX.
No legacy carrier is competitive into all of the legacy carriers’ hubs even though all legacy carrier hub to LAX markets are major markets.
LAX-EWR was a clear warning bow that DL was serious about moving forward on its plan to grow LAX that execs said would be coming.
DL is set to change the role of any single legacy carrier at LAX .
as for Dallas, DL has service to all of its hubs from DFW; ORD is now in the same position for DL.
There are significant gaps in other airline hubs to DL hubs.
it isn’t the million combinations of small cities that AA has done that generate the highest revenue or the off the wall international destinations that UA does.
It is serving the most and largest domestic markets – and DL handedly leads the industry in doing that.
lavanderialarry “DL is dumping capacity on LAX in the hope it will adequately feed its long haul operation there that is growing, but generally doesn’t work all that well.”
Exactly. I guess when you’re weak out west you’ve got to get whatever passengers from wherever you can to try and fill up the oversized aircraft that are coming in 2027? Sloppy seconds from hubs your competitors dominate? Sounds a bit desperate, not to mention tough on yields.
@FNT Delta Diamond — “when California is declining in population and economic might” … your bias is showing. California is still the most populous state (40 million, next 31), and still the 4th largest economy in the world (way ahead of any other US state), only behind United States (as a whole), China, and Germany. So, save the whining, and recognize California, New York, Illinois and others are thriving, whether you like them or not.
Yet, those states are losing population at the highest rates in history.
U.S. Census Bureau estimates highlight the top states with the largest population contractions:California: Lost more than 9,000 people in the last measured year and over 170,000 residents overall since 2020, largely due to domestic out-migration to southern states.New York: Decreased by nearly 120,000 residents since 2020.Illinois: Saw a drop of about 76,000 people over the five-year period.
Nice strawman argument.
Money talks. That straw man is in your mirror.
#/Metro/GDP ($ trillions)
1/NYC/$2.4
2/LA/$1.4
3/ORD/$0.9
4/SFO/$0.8
5/DFW/$0.8
6/IAH/$0.8
7/DC/$0.8
8/BOS/$0.6
9/ATL/$0.6
10/SEA/$0.6
Newark LAX non stop was a Spirit route that gave United competition. I see Delta just making a move on a route that is a money maker.
Chicago will almost certainly be surpasses by Houston or Dallas/Fort Worth by the next census.
Thank you, @rebel, for calling out @Pilot93434’s bull. It’s undeniable that NYC, LA, SF, CHI, etc. are thriving, and some of the top markets in the world for business, culture, and aviation. Anyone who’s attempting to downplay them or their prominence, is simply showing their bias, like I suggested earlier. To suggest that a place like Dallas even comes close is laughable.
DL moved quickly to confirm its intentions to significantly grow LAX first with EWR flights and now Jon says IAD and PHL are next.
DL is not one to talk up what it intends to do until it is ready to do it. I have said for quite some time that the greatest opportunity for any carrier at LAX is to fly to all the other carrier hubs that are served from LAX since no carrier does that very well.
poor rebel that has to cry himself to bed tonight realizing that DL has done what his vaunted UA cannot do.
UA doesn’t do squat to DL hubs from LAX.
UA doesn’t fly to ATL
or DTW
or MSP
or SLC – other than a couple of RJ flights that amount to 0.01% of capacity.
IOW, UA doesn’t really compete much to DL hubs.
and yet DL appears set to serve every UA hub – fewer of them than DL hubs – and apparenly all AA hubs except CLT – and that is certain to be coming.
there are lots of sore backsides and tear-soaked pillows in UA land.
@Tim Dunn — We sure those are tears?
EWR and PHL are way too close. Central Jersey residents can easily access either EWR or PHL. Two options are way better than choosing Delta. Let’s see how soon DACO will happen.
LAX – ORD was one of the biggest gaps in Delta network that I found unbelievable until last year.
You can’t be serious at a LAX without giving a direct option to Chicago, especially since credit card spend is what makes money and these are massive economies.
Glad to see that they fixed that.
TD is wrong yet again. Let’s see if you can figure out which city and why.
I wonder why UA doesn’t fly as much to DL hubs? Too funny.
#/Metro/GDP ($ trillions)
1/NYC/$2.4
2/LA/$1.4
3/ORD/$0.9
4/SFO/$0.8 + SJC/0.4
5/DFW/$0.8
6/IAH/$0.8
7/DC/$0.8
8/BOS/$0.6
9/ATL/$0.6
10/SEA/$0.6
11/PHL/$0.6
12/MIA/$0.6
13/SJC/$0.4
14/PHX/$0.4
15/MSP/$0.4
16/DTW/$0.3
17/SAN/$0.3
18/DEN/$0.3
19/CLT/$0.3
20/BWI/$0.3
.
.
.
.
.
37/SLC/$0.1
Isaac
DL has clearly realized that there is an opportunity to serve the most major markets from LAX of any airline. DL already serves more of the largest industry markets of any US airlne but they recognize they can do more and that is what this expansion is about. All of the legacy carrier hub markets to LAX are major industry markets and yet most airlines serve only their own hubs and some neutral markets.
LAX has the potential to swing much more in DL’s favor if it serves more top markets from LAX than other carriers. adding EWR, IAD and PHL leaves just a couple of major hubs that DL might not serve – and we don’t know that other markets like CLT are not also on DL’s radar.
rebel continues to argue with GDP and market size while failing to note that UA carries a smaller percentage of market revenue to its hubs than DL does to its hubs.
the fact that neither AA or UA fly LAX to DTW or MSP tells you that DL has the upper hand. AA serves ATL from LAX but UA does not.
DL gets higher average fares to its hubs than AA and UA do to theirs.
rebel can and will argue all day long but it is far easier for DL to grow into the relatively few AA and UA major markets that DL does not serve than the other way around simply because DL realized the importance of serving the most top markets long before AA and UA realized doing that mattered
United and AA can upguage at LAX if they wanted. The numbers are misleading because Delta only flies mainline while UA and AA push regionals into LAX.
United could swap to all 737/320 and wide bodies tomorrow and their numbers would shoot up.
TD says, “continues to argue with GDP and market size while failing to note that UA carries a smaller percentage of market revenue to its hubs than DL does to its hubs.”
A good point for a change. UA has its hubs in superior cities and is steadily increasing share whereas DL has extracted all they can from MSP (15), DTW (16) & SLC (37). DL does an amazing job dominating #37 SLC. 😉
TD says, “the fact that neither AA or UA fly LAX to DTW or MSP tells you that DL has the upper hand.”
Actually, it doesn’t.
UA flies 2x/day to/from both cities to SFO (#3 w/SJC). UA feeds LAX differently, from more advantageous cities and also so as not to cannibalize SFO feed. Good job figuring out UA flies SLC-LAX 2x/day. Who says you aren’t capable of learning?
Sounds like more competition to me, which should mean lower fares. No complaints here. Many (including DL) have tried and failed to dominate at LAX. This is more of the same.
rebel,
UA simply does not get domestic average fares from its hubs as high as DL does from theirs. It is simply factual reality whether you know it or not.
UA has a lower share of the metros where its hubs are located than DL or AA.
we realize that paid internet influencers will say anything to avoid admitting the truth but DL has the best of both worlds – a sprawling domestic network that has a high share in secondary and tertiary markets (like AA) but also has high share in major coastal markets (which UA has) but neither AA and UA have together what DL has.
none of which changes that DL is in a position to expand on its position of flying to the most other airline hubs from LAX.
Illinois is not thriving as people and businesses scamper to get out of town. I say this from first hand knowledge. Rows of stores are empty in the Loop and on the Mag Mile. I previously in these pages gave NYC credit for its recovery from Covid, which I also witnessed first hand. I have doubts about the current administration in NYC but expect the City will outlast it.
“none of which changes that DL is in a position to expand on its position of flying to the most other airline hubs from LAX.”
The question is should they? What would Glen do?
Glen has left the building, rebel.
You clearly can’t stand to admit that DL had the foresight to see that real estate mattered at LAX and DL spent the time and money to give it a real estate advantage that it intends to translate in more service to the US’ top industry markets from LAX than any other airline
“Glen has left the building”
It shows.
By 2028, AA will have more gates then DL base upon the new Terminals 4 / 5 and TBIT gate are brought into the mix. DL add and subtracts routes like Spirit out of LA and SEA (DL once again dropped LHR from LAX but said it’s coming back so they can drop it again). So in a year, PHL and Dullas will be gone, DL isn’t dealing with LUV or Spirit this time and AA just proved at ORD when push comes to shove, they will shove back. With the XLR fleet and more premium wide bodies coming on board, AA can start to add flight to both LAX and JFK year round. AA push DL out of Dallas and Austin will be a failed DL focus as most in AUS learn LUV or AA so don’t think DL dollars will win out at LAX, for now maybe but long term AA will reclaim the crown there again.