Delta Air Lines will exit one of the few international long-haul markets in which all of America’s “big three” airlines compete directly. @IshrionA.
Delta Air Lines will eliminate flights from Los Angeles to London in May 2024
Effective May 6, 2024, Delta will eliminate service between Los Angeles (LAX) and London (LHR). For reference, this route is currently operated daily by Airbus A330-900neo on the following schedule:
DL186 Los Angeles to London 8pm departure, 2:50pm arrival (+1 day)
DL187 London to Los Angeles Departs at 4:50pm Arrives at 8:30pm
Many airlines fly from Los Angeles to London, including American Airlines, British Airways, United Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic. While American Airlines and United Airlines have been flying this route consistently for a long time, Delta Air Lines has not.
Delta Air Lines began flying this route in 2014 and then discontinued it in 2015. After being grounded for nearly eight years, it resumed service in the summer of 2023, but was canceled again a year later.
Delta Air Lines has repeatedly sought to establish itself as Los Angeles’ flagship carrier, and in fact provides more capacity at the airport than either American Airlines or United Airlines. But when the airline can’t even connect Los Angeles to the world’s largest aviation market, the picture of Delta being a global carrier at Los Angeles International Airport doesn’t look very good.
Why is Delta Airlines canceling the Los Angeles to London flight?
Several things are involved here. First, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic Airways have a joint venture, and Delta Air Lines owns his 49% of Virgin Atlantic’s shares. The UK-based SkyTeam airline operates up to three daily flights between Los Angeles and London.
Because airlines typically consider joint ventures to be part of their overall operations, Delta will see limited impact from the Los Angeles-London cut, as passengers in the market can fly with Virgin Atlantic. I think you only think of it as a technical issue with .
Additionally, London Heathrow Airport has limited slots, so Delta, of course, won’t just cancel service without making alternative plans. As of May 7, 2024, Delta plans to add three daily flights from Atlanta (ATL) to London.
It’s clear what’s going on here: Delta Air Lines decided it would be better to use their metal on the third flight from Atlanta to London, instead of once a day from Los Angeles.
But why? Well, that’s a great question, but I’m not sure there’s a great answer. Delta clearly has a very loyal customer base and incredible name recognition in Atlanta, so they may think they’re outperforming Virgin and Atlantic in markets with strong hubs. I don’t know.
It seems like a bad idea for Delta Air Lines to fly the same route twice, and only for one year. And while airlines may internally consider joint ventures to be part of their business, I don’t think all consumers necessarily see them that way.
conclusion
Delta Air Lines will discontinue its Los Angeles-London service in May 2024. This will be the second time the route has lasted only about a year, as the company just opened it about a year ago after an eight-year hiatus. Delta Air Lines plans to use this slot at London Heathrow to begin its third daily flight from Atlanta instead.
What do you think about Delta Air Lines cutting its Los Angeles-London service? What do you think the logic is?