Delta Airlines Launches 6,223 Nautical Miles, Its 4th Longest Route

On December 4, Delta Airlines launched its first-ever flight from Los Angeles to Brisbane, marking a significant milestone for the SkyTeam member. This new route is the airline's first service to Queensland's capital and its second Australian city, following Sydney. The launch was made possible by financial support from Queensland's Attracting Aviation Investment Fund.

Brisbane is now the eighth Asia-Pacific destination for Delta, joining Auckland, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Tahiti, Taipei, and Tokyo. Delta becomes the second airline to operate flights on the Los Angeles-Brisbane route alongside Qantas. Virgin Australia exited the market in 2020, while United briefly served the route between December 2023 and February 2024. Whether Delta can maintain a steady presence in this competitive market remains to be seen.

The 6,223 nautical miles (11,525 km) flight will run seasonally during the Northern Hemisphere winter, operating three times a week. Flights from Los Angeles depart on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while flights from Brisbane leave on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The last flight from Brisbane is scheduled for March 28.

Delta's new route saw 81,000 roundtrip passengers between Los Angeles and Brisbane in the year leading up to July 2024. Most of Delta's passengers on this route will connect through Los Angeles, as the airline no longer codeshares with Virgin Australia.

The airline will operate the route using the 306-seat Airbus A350-900, configured with 32 Delta One suites, 48 Premium Select seats, 36 Comfort+ seats, and 190 seats in standard economy. Delta has allocated 38% of its capacity to premium cabins, which are defined as Comfort+ and above. The first roundtrip flight was operated by the A350-900 aircraft N522DZ, adorned in the resplendent LA28 Olympics livery.

Delta's Los Angeles-Brisbane service is now its fourth-longest route by distance. The route has a block time of 14 hours and 40 minutes from Los Angeles to Brisbane and 13 hours and 20 minutes on the return flight.

Meanwhile, on December 3, Delta Connection resumed flights between Salt Lake City and Grand Junction, Colorado. These 188 nautical miles (348 km) route operates 13 times weekly using SkyWest's 50-seat CRJ550 aircraft.

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