Delta announced that SkyMiles members and employees could vote on its new Europe route – Ibiza, Malta Or Sardinia?
They didn’t say anything about where these flights would operate from. It’s almost certainly New York JFK, and with a Boeing 767. Voting ran August 25 – August 29.
I wrote that my guess for the best route here would be Sardinia – the most premium route, with the greatest chance or premium leisure to sell out the front cabin. Plus, Italy has been hot and more or less anywhere U.S. carriers fly non-stop has been working.
Aviation watchdog JonNYC leaks the results of the vote on new Delta Europe service – and Sardinia won by a wide margin.
DL: Sardinia won and it wasn't close
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) September 2, 2025 at 6:38 PM
We still don’t know what route Delta will announce or when. They’ve said they were letting SkyMiles members pick the route but there’s no actual obligation that they do this. And they could say “with these three new routes, all our customers win!” Maybe they’ll run them all, and this really was just about driving mobile app downloads (in order to vote).
Regardless, it looks like Sardinia – probably a late departure, around 10 p.m. on a Boeing 767 from New York JFK, arriving in Europe after 11 a.m., with a return scheduled two hours later and landing back in the states late afternoon. This maximizes connectivity on the U.S. side as well as timing arrivals to hotel check-in/check-out in Europe.
…not according to our poll on here. Ibiza. I still think this was one of those ‘pre-determined’ votes, and they’ll end up flying to all three anyway. Oh, the hype!
I have beem amused by this whole ‘exercise’! Since when does a major airline allow a random vote of namless people to influence where they fly a multi-million dollar aircraft with its related operating costs? Did they fire what I assume was a qualified team of researchers and planners?
Sure, us peeps getting to choose a route for a multi-million dollar plane.
Oh the humanity!
Just a random person here, but I chatted with my fellow travelers who participated, and we all voted for Sardinia (now this is a small sample of 4 Delta Skymiles members, but we did not previously have any collective discussions on the topic or travel to any of these destinations). Sardinia seems unique and most unique in terms of service from the U.S., it’s hot and on all of our short lists, whereas Ibiza is really skewed for a younger EDM/party crowd in the summer (we are all in 30s), and Malta, well, it lacks the luster and “shine” of Sardinia. Sardinia is now, Ibiza was, and Malta, well, maybe in the future, but non-stop to Croatia is more appealing.
So I think the “leak” has some validity.
With all of the premium enshittification going on at Delta, why would anyone care.
Alan, we have to keep using that term whenever Gary makes a Delta post 😉
Why fly all the way to Ibiza when the Jersey Shore and Galveston is so close?
This whole thing smacks of when WWF let fans vote on matches at Taboo Tuesday in 2004. One example: the Christy Hemme v. Carmella DeCessre match where fans voted on the style of match: Lingerie Pillow Fight, Evening Gown Match, or Aerobics Challenge.
Of course the votes didn’t (and don’t) matter. But it was great material for engagement farming.
Sardinia has a generous airline incentive program that certainly tipped the scales.
https://www.unionesarda.it/en/sardinia/international-flights-sardinia-delayed-aid-to-companies-does-not-take-off-qh6d0r4x
I am pretty sure Delta has already made arrangements with all 3 locations in terms of securing a landing slot so they might pick the winner but the place was already secured. BTW, good luck for those going to Sardinia. I personally have been there many times, it is amazing but the only place I see Delta flying into Sardinia is Olbia which is by far the most expensive place in the island. Almost no hotels with points since the ones from Marriott never have any points redemptions available. Rates for hotels are outrageously expensive, restaurants are overrated and super expensive and Porto Cervo is a manmade place for billionaires so not the real Sardinia people imagine. Stunningly beautiful for sure but make sure to manage your expectations.
It’s a huge place and if you avoid Billionaire’s Row, there’s plenty that’s authentic and devoid of Americans. Go in the shoulder seasons and it’s reasonable. Food is terrific and affordable if you know where to look, just don’t expect English. But they’ll still treat you like family, just eat and drink whatever they put in front of you.
@C_M: I agree with you but I doubt many Americans will venture driving hours in Sardinia to go outside the Billionaire’s Row. There is absolutely no way Delta will fly to Cagliari or Alghero as both are not touristy enough to attract Americans. Thus, landing in Olbia won’t give you much choice than staying in the Billionaire’s Row. Food is absolutely amazing but not in Porto Cervo where it is overpriced. Lastly, what do you mean by “go in the shoulder’s season”? I doubt this will be a year round flight so as most new Delta destinations in Europe this will be a summer flight which is the most expensive time to visit Sardinia.
Aww… the new bromance between @Alan and @Steve… what would VFTW be without inside jokes… *wink*
You fellas are kidding yourselves if you think Delta is the problem among US carriers… naw, they still lead the pack.
Maybe fly somewhere I want to go. 0 for 3
If someone is privy to confidential information, then he shouldn’t be leaking it unless he is paid to do so.
Not at all surprising. It is a no brainer. Sardinia attracts wealthy tourists looking for something far beyond the Rome-Florence-Venice or Rome-Amalfi Coast corridor. Americans don’t go to Malta in big numbers and while it is pretty, it is a small island and usually a cruise stop, not a destination for the US market onto itself. Ibiza just isn’t a place most Americans go to in Spain either.
This voting thing was much ado about nothing. The route was decided before the campaign launched and the rest was just typical hubris.
Is that the JonNYC who has been banned from every single platform for harassment? Who steals IP? Whose d*x is worth at least 150K now to American?
That JonNYC?
@Not Scott, I have to agree and say that seeing JonNYC interact with people online makes him seem like a very odd and unkind person.
I thought Ibiza would win given its rising popularity on social media with young people.
Sardinia is seasonally popular with a very high income/high net worth American crowd and that just doesn’t hold true as much with Ibiza and Malta, but even most of this crowd doesn’t go more than a couple of times. But there are others in the market too. Personally, I avoid such places that get hot in the summer, and for returning I wouldn’t be coming via the US unless there is a big TATL discount fare deal like those legendary YYZ-departing ones with Alitalia.
Sardinia may be next but Malta will also happen, requests are up for advisors, I have 5 different itineraries with Malta in the next year. People want the next hot destination!