JetBlue isn’t the only airline making cuts at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): Delta Air Lines’ hub at LAX will have three fewer routes later this year.
The Atlanta-based carrier filed plans over the weekend to drop three flights from LAX, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
This includes the 337-mile intrastate service from LAX to the Bay Area’s Oakland International Airport (OAK), which will cease operating May 7. Delta has operated this puddle-jumper route since 2007, Cirium schedules show.
The airline will reallocate this flying to other LAX markets, but the carrier did not confirm which routes would see capacity increases or new services as part of this shake-up.
Interestingly, Delta will boost its presence in Oakland this summer with a new route to its megahub in Atlanta, beginning June 7.
As for the LAX-to-Oakland route, Delta explained the move is in response to weak demand, saying in a statement that the cut is designed “to fit the current demand environment.”
When Delta’s service ends, it’ll leave Southwest Airlines with a monopoly on this route.
Additionally, Delta will also scrap two routes from its LAX winter schedule: Bozeman, Montana, and Vail, Colorado. These two ski markets were slated to be connected with LAX at the start of the upcoming winter season.
Just like the Oakland cut, Delta explained in a statement that these cuts are being made “as the demand environment for winter travel comes into clearer focus.”
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Going forward, travelers based in Los Angeles flying nonstop to Bozeman can travel with American Airlines, Alaska Airlines or United Airlines. American will have a monopoly on the LA-to-Vail route this winter, according to Cirium schedules.
All hope isn’t lost, though, because Delta says that it’ll announce additional updates to its winter ski routes in the coming weeks. Hopefully, this will translate to more service, but there’s no telling what the carrier has in the works.
In recent years, Delta has been busy marketing itself as LA’s largest global carrier. The carrier offers nearly 160 daily flights to 52 destinations across the globe, as well as 19 of the top 20 markets for LA-based flyers.
In addition to its expansive network, Delta continues to invest millions of dollars into (much needed) renovations and expansions of its LAX terminal. Dubbed the new Sky Way at LAX, Delta’s new Terminal 3 is chock-full of amenities, such as one of the world’s nicest Sky Clubs (with a stunning year-round terrace overlooking the runway and Hollywood Hills in the distance).
Delta is also investing in the premium experience at LAX; this includes the recent opening of an all-new Delta One check-in facility with a private security lane that leads directly to the lounge. Later this year, the carrier will also open a business-class-only lounge at LAX.
All of this investment comes as Delta faces increased competition for the local market in LA. Every major U.S. airline considers LA a hub or focus city, and there’s no clear “winner” carrier in the market.
In addition to these three domestic route cuts, Delta recently filed plans to pare back long-haul connectivity to LA by suspending service to London.
Elsewhere in the country, Delta will resume flying between Detroit and Fort Wayne, Indiana. This 128-mile route was scrapped in October 2022 due to the pilot shortage. This resumption joins Delta’s existing service from the Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA) to Atlanta and Minneapolis.
Nonstop service to Detroit returns June 7, with once-daily Delta Connection service on the 76-seat CRJ-900 regional jet operated by affiliate SkyWest Airlines.
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