Delta unveils first-ever flights to Brisbane, joining American, United

23.02.2024 - 15:19 / thepointsguy.com / Delta I (I) / Joe Esposito / Airlines

Delta Air Lines is expanding Down Under with an all-new ultra-long-haul route.

The Atlanta-based carrier announced on Friday that its first-ever flights from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia, will take off on Dec. 4, 2024.

This new 7,161-mile route will operate seasonally on a three-times-weekly basis through March 28, 2025.

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Delta will deploy an Airbus A350-900 on this new route, which features 32 Delta One Suites, 48 Premium Select recliners, 36 Comfort+ seats and 190 standard economy seats.

Brisbane will become Delta's second destination in Australia — and it's part of a recent expansion in the South Pacific.

The carrier already flies between LA and Sydney on a daily basis, but the airline added a second daily frequency on this route for the peak (Northern Hemisphere) winter season. The airline also launched flights from LA to Auckland in October 2023 and three-times-weekly flights from LA to Tahiti in December 2022.

All of this expansion comes as Delta seeks to further develop its hub at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where it opened a new Sky Way terminal during the pandemic.

Delta is marketing this new route to those living in and near Brisbane who want access to 40 one-stop itineraries across the U.S. via Los Angeles. It's also geared toward those based in the U.S. looking to explore Brisbane's attractions and the Gold Coast, a popular resort area.

"Delta's upcoming winter schedule will offer its customers up to 17 weekly flights to and from Australia, with the inclusion of Brisbane. This expansion marks our fourth destination in the South Pacific, establishing our most extensive schedule to date," Joe Esposito, Delta's senior vice president of network planning, said in a statement.

This new Brisbane route comes as Delta looks for places to send its wide-body jets during the winter season when transatlantic demand to Europe among leisure (and some business) travelers plummets.

In fact, Delta's move has already been popularized in recent years by United, which has boosted its portfolio of South Pacific destinations and now holds the title of the largest U.S. carrier serving the region.

Interestingly, this new route comes just about two years after United launched service between San Francisco and Brisbane and a year after the airline added LA to Brisbane service.

Aside from United, Delta will go up against Australian flag carrier Qantas on its new LAX-to-Brisbane route.

It's not just Delta and United that see opportunity in Brisbane, however. Earlier this month, American Airlines unveiled a slew of new long-haul routes, which includes a new longest route from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport