This shouldn’t come as any sort of a surprise, but Delta Air Lines has confirmed that it will delay its planned flights to Saudi Arabia…
Delta’s Atlanta to Riyadh route postponed by months
Delta has announced that it will delay its planned nonstop flights between Atlanta (ATL) and Riyadh (RUH), which was supposed to operate daily with an Airbus A350-900. While the route was initially supposed to kick off as of late October 2026, that service has now been delayed through March 2027.
The airline describes this decision as being made “amid evolving developments in the region,” noting that “the safety and security of customers and employees always come first and continue to guide operational decisions.” However, the airline emphasizes that it remains “committed to serving the Kingdom for the long-term.”
Customers with affected travel plans are told they can visit the “My Trips” section of delta.com to review their options, including refunds.
For context, in July 2024, Delta and Riyadh Air announced plans to launch a partnership, which would include the Atlanta-based airline adding flights to Saudi Arabia. Then in October 2025, Delta formally announced plans to fly to Saudi Arabia, with flights going on sale as of December 2025.
Of course Delta wasn’t going to launch Riyadh flights
I think it was an absolute given that Delta was going to delay its launch of Riyadh flights. For one, the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels has sharply escalated in recent times, and Riyadh Airport has now been attacked several times in the past week.
In one of the most recent attacks, 12 people lost their lives, and over 300 people were injured. In an attack before that, a Saudia Airbus A320 was destroyed, and three people died. That’s all of course incredibly tragic, and there’s no sign of that conflict ending. Delta wasn’t about to launch service there, given that aircraft insurers and unions wouldn’t be onboard with that.
But even excluding this latest safety situation, there’s no denying that the demand for travel between Atlanta and Riyadh just isn’t there, at least initially. We’ve seen how insanely empty these flights were, and that’s despite the fact that Delta was basically giving seats away.
Delta’s motivation for operating this service is twofold (if we exclude Delta CEO Ed Bastian talking about how much Americans are going to love visiting Saudi Arabia):
- Unlike American and United, Delta lacks a close Middle East partner, so the airline values its Riyadh Air partnership, for providing connectivity across the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, etc.
- Saudi Arabia is offering a massive amount in subsidies for airlines to fly to Riyadh, and airlines love revenue guarantees
Anyway, Delta now has a couple of spare Airbus A350s to play around with this winter, with this route being canceled. I’m also very curious if this route actually launches in March 2027. I’m not convinced the safety situation or the demand side of things will change materially (not that demand seems to actually be a prerequisite for this route “succeeding”).
Admittedly it takes time for demand in markets to build up, but there is a certain irony to the argument for so long being that Riyadh is massively underserved by airlines, yet the only way they can attract airlines is by offering huge subsidies, and then the demand doesn’t actually seem to reflect what’s claimed.
Bottom line
Delta has announced that it will delay its new service between Atlanta and Riyadh until March 2027, representing a delay of around five months. The carrier insists it’s still committed to launching flights to Saudi Arabia, and staying in the market long term.
Delta’s flights to Riyadh were looking insanely empty, to the point that it would basically be a private jet shuttling a couple dozen people. One would logically think such a route wouldn’t launch, since there’s no economic justification for it, aside from subsidies.
However, what finally caused the route to be delayed is the fact that the airport has now been attacked several times over the past week, and obviously that’s not an airport that Delta wants to fly to.
If I were forced to guess, I think it’s unlikely we see the route launch in March 2027 either, but let’s see!
What do you make of Delta delaying Riyadh flights? Do you think the March 2027 timeline will stick?
Assuming they do want the frame back in March for this (big assumption), it’s likely going to be hard to launch a net new route. If they had the proper crew base they could upgrade one of the JFK-LHR flights from 767 with more premium capacity and much better experience but doesn’t sound logistically feasible. A more risky and likely unprofitable, but potentially strategic, option is add a second lax-hkg flight and try to grow...
Assuming they do want the frame back in March for this (big assumption), it’s likely going to be hard to launch a net new route. If they had the proper crew base they could upgrade one of the JFK-LHR flights from 767 with more premium capacity and much better experience but doesn’t sound logistically feasible. A more risky and likely unprofitable, but potentially strategic, option is add a second lax-hkg flight and try to grow awareness and capture a bit more market share.
But likely just to float around ATL/DTW/SEA and their long haul destinations as needed. But probably some fun last minute domestic repositioning plane upgrades for some people
DL can't do much w/ even just one aircraft for five months - but that has been the case w/ service to TLV which has been on/off for years for DL and UA; AA has largely decided not to chase the high profile and revenue nature of Israel travel but also the high risk that the route will have to be suspended at times, leaving extra aircraft.
The 350 that was going to serve RUH...
DL can't do much w/ even just one aircraft for five months - but that has been the case w/ service to TLV which has been on/off for years for DL and UA; AA has largely decided not to chase the high profile and revenue nature of Israel travel but also the high risk that the route will have to be suspended at times, leaving extra aircraft.
The 350 that was going to serve RUH is just part of DL's fleet and they can redeploy it on other routes or just have slack in their fleet.
and in the mid term, DL has a bunch of 350-1000s arriving fairly rapidly over the next couple years. If RUH doesn't restart in the spring of 2027 (and there is a high risk that it won't just like UA hasn't restarted DXB even though DXB is, right now, much quieter than Saudi Arabia), then DL will have more aircraft for use elsewhere. Since the A350 works best as a long range aircraft and DL is growing Asia/Pacific, the chandes are high it will end up there.
“Customers with affected travel plans are told they can visit the “My Trips” section of delta.com…” Both of them?
Zing! Got'em!
I miss the days when DL would whine about overcapacity and unfair advantages from the ME3 and I could fly DXB-ATL from Baghdad.
Just like Venezuela, we'll be in and out in no time. What could possibly go wrong?
Let's go. In and out. 20 minutes adventure...
… it sort of was all foreseeable!
BUT, if DL would be clever and used the available capacity of A350 to launch a new route … MAYBE as a charter to avoid long approval times for a scheduled service to fly ATL-MLE instead 3x weeks and i bet, the demand would be there by passengers & cargo too!
Especially since Maldives has seen a heavy increase on US tourists in recent years! Ranking...
… it sort of was all foreseeable!
BUT, if DL would be clever and used the available capacity of A350 to launch a new route … MAYBE as a charter to avoid long approval times for a scheduled service to fly ATL-MLE instead 3x weeks and i bet, the demand would be there by passengers & cargo too!
Especially since Maldives has seen a heavy increase on US tourists in recent years! Ranking #9 Nationality in 2026 out of all Visitors by number.
Just a silly but reasonable thought! ;-)
No more Korea, Singapore or routes, that are simply a high risk again, make good use of the winter season DL people.
now tell us how you fly from the US to the Maldives w/o flying thru anyone of the many no fly zones which the US government says US airlines should respect.
They have added Saudi Arabia overflights to the list.
If DL wanted to go to the Indian subcontinent, it has had ATL-DEL on its "to do" list but says it doesn't work w/ current airspace restrictions.
Cathay Pacific and China Eastern seem like good options.
STEFFL, if they wanna actually fill it, I’d’ve said, JFK-MLE. (The folks in ATL aren’t the most ‘Maldives-focused,’ let’s say…)
Tim, as someone who’s been and hopes to return, yeah, the loss/risk of ME carriers from N. America to MLE is tough. Seasonally, there are ample European carriers, though (think AF, BA, VS, etc.)
Jerry, I’d’ve said CX and SQ. Much prefer those to MU, though I did see their a330 there earlier this year.
"(The folks in ATL aren’t the most ‘Maldives-focused,’ let’s say…)"
We aren't? idk, I've been twice in the last 7 years, which is 2x's more than most people can say.
In my opinion, for as long as it takes to get there and the cost, it's overhyped
Gonna break my personal rule of not responding to 1990_ by asking what they meant about this comment:
"The folks in ATL aren’t the most ‘Maldives-focused,’ let’s say…"
(I knew that'd rustle someone's feathers... shoulda known it'd be RetiredATLATC... bah!)
@retiredatlatc When you return again, hope you'll enjoy the new MLE terminal (on arrival, https://onemileatatime.com/community-stories/male-velana-airport-new-terminal-1-international-arrivals/ and departure, https://onemileatatime.com/community-stories/new-mle-airport-departures-koveli-lounge/) and maybe you'll consider an award stay at the newly renovated W (https://onemileatatime.com/community-stories/w-hotel-maldives-review/)
Like I said, overrated. Won't ever return again.
Next stop, Everest, and not on some touristy helicopter "excursion". 27 day trek to remove trash and carry it back down the mountain.
You don't need to trek 27 days to remove trash.
You can walk 27 feet and start doing it there. You'll create a mountain yourself by the time you walked 27 miles.
But let's not whitewash your touristy agenda.
Eskimo, shall we take the helicopter instead?
https://onemileatatime.com/community-stories/use-bilt-cash-free-blade-helicopter-ride-manhattan-jfk/
So you want to take Blade to MLE or Everest.
Former is almost beyond range limits for the most capable civilian helicopter.
Latter is almost beyond altitude limits.
But if you mean ATL, you don't need a helicopter. A hypocritecopter can easily go 27 feet.
One huge issue with this flight was that Delta wasn't selling connecting itineraries through RUH onto Riyadh Air flights yet the last time I checked (I last looked when Delta had the cheap award tickets on that flight). That's despite the fact that Riyadh Air has launched flights to many major connecting markets for ME airlines in the last few weeks (including flights to India and Pakistan).
While they won't be the most profitable, you...
One huge issue with this flight was that Delta wasn't selling connecting itineraries through RUH onto Riyadh Air flights yet the last time I checked (I last looked when Delta had the cheap award tickets on that flight). That's despite the fact that Riyadh Air has launched flights to many major connecting markets for ME airlines in the last few weeks (including flights to India and Pakistan).
While they won't be the most profitable, you would think the priority would be to get the connecting itineraries being bookable by customers. Otherwise DL's flight to RUH is basically only for people terminating their travels in RUH. Once that is possible, I'm sure the flight will fill up if DL pursues an aggressive pricing strategy (otherwise EY has been aggressively pricing connecting itineraries from their newer US gateways, including connections to other US cities on AA).
RX needs to develop their own network much more. They wanted DL in as a partner but the commercial integration wasn't there even before the security considerations.
and RX and DL both said their primary focus is to develop Saudi tourism and business - but that is pretty hard to do when there is fear about going to the entire region which has now spilled over pretty dramatically onto Saudi Arabia's airports.
DL's partnership...
RX needs to develop their own network much more. They wanted DL in as a partner but the commercial integration wasn't there even before the security considerations.
and RX and DL both said their primary focus is to develop Saudi tourism and business - but that is pretty hard to do when there is fear about going to the entire region which has now spilled over pretty dramatically onto Saudi Arabia's airports.
DL's partnership w/ RX was about more than just codeshare and even a potential JV in the future. RX wanted DL to help them build the airline in a number of areas including maintenance.
The ATL-RUH flight was never just about normal air travel stuff.
And ATL simply punches well above its weight to destinations all over the world because of DL's massive hub there. The route is far less about ATL per se and more about how well DL serves the US from ATL.
Tbh there is potential for demand for RUH. It has a metro population of 8M, that puts it basically in the top 50 cities in the world.
RUH is and shouldn't be about creating a 4th ME connecting hub. It should be about serving their local O&D to destinations, and stimulating traffic that way. No one in Atlanta or Riyadh wants to go to the other place.
Quite frankly, there aren't even a lot of...
Tbh there is potential for demand for RUH. It has a metro population of 8M, that puts it basically in the top 50 cities in the world.
RUH is and shouldn't be about creating a 4th ME connecting hub. It should be about serving their local O&D to destinations, and stimulating traffic that way. No one in Atlanta or Riyadh wants to go to the other place.
Quite frankly, there aren't even a lot of Saudis in the US compared to other Arab diaspora. Or even Saudis overseas tbh. Less than 1% of their population lives overseas, compared to the other Middle Eastern nations where that % is 12, 25, and even 60%.
I just don't see how Delta fits into this picture with an ATL to RUH flight.
@ yoloswag420 -- I agree with you, and it seems like there *should* be O&D demand for so many markets, given that Riyadh is a legitimately sized city. But what I find telling is that Riyadh can seemingly only attract many foreign airlines with a massive amount of subsidies. How do we square that away, exactly? Airlines don't need to be paid huge amounts to fly to most markets that are actually lucrative, so...
Delta's...
@ yoloswag420 -- I agree with you, and it seems like there *should* be O&D demand for so many markets, given that Riyadh is a legitimately sized city. But what I find telling is that Riyadh can seemingly only attract many foreign airlines with a massive amount of subsidies. How do we square that away, exactly? Airlines don't need to be paid huge amounts to fly to most markets that are actually lucrative, so...
Delta's service makes no sense to me. Bastian claims he thinks Americans are going to live Riyadh, though clearly the goal is to get Saudis one-stop service to points across the US, and to get Americans two-stop service between the US and the region. It just doesn't seem efficient, and when you add in the lack of alcohol, it just doesn't seem like a winning strategy.
That is indeed why I said: "I just don't see how Delta fits into this picture with an ATL to RUH flight."
There's genuinely something that needs to be fixed in that country before they try and make this global tourism and business push.
That starts by having your own citizens live overseas to establish connections and local enclaves and spreading the culture. Less than 1% of their population lives overseas.
The KSA needs a...
That is indeed why I said: "I just don't see how Delta fits into this picture with an ATL to RUH flight."
There's genuinely something that needs to be fixed in that country before they try and make this global tourism and business push.
That starts by having your own citizens live overseas to establish connections and local enclaves and spreading the culture. Less than 1% of their population lives overseas.
The KSA needs a complete and total revamp of their public image like the UAE or even Qatar. They need to do some PR and rebrand themselves, there's very little organic demand for Saudi Arabia today, either to or from it.
We do not need the Saudi spreading their culture of women wearing black sacks over their head, separate elevators for women, separate water fountains for women etc. Why does America need that?
You've got to remember that RUH may not be a megahub in the image of DXB, but the O&D demand from/to the city is more than large enough to create plenty of opportunities for connections and Saudia have been selling itineraries via the airport despite their main hub being in Jeddah. There's not much point in the likes of AF or UA trying to establish a massive presence there when two local carriers offer an...
You've got to remember that RUH may not be a megahub in the image of DXB, but the O&D demand from/to the city is more than large enough to create plenty of opportunities for connections and Saudia have been selling itineraries via the airport despite their main hub being in Jeddah. There's not much point in the likes of AF or UA trying to establish a massive presence there when two local carriers offer an array of direct flights and lots of airlines in the region also boast high capacity (often with multiple daily departures) and equivalent/better service while operating at lower unit costs- the yield just isn't there.
Finally, we're never going to here the end of how great RUH was, and shifting to TPAC is even greater.
And Ed just like FAA with the 737MAX, are incompetent and took too long to react on the very obvious.
CAAC grounded the MAX immediately, not among the last on the planet like FAA.
Ed should have postponed the flight since Friday.
Oh and did I mentioned that loads on RUH flights are terrible even with a few weeks left.
Another reason Ed should have pulled out sooner.
Subsidies on an empty flight is what kept him dragging until Monday.
ATL-RUH will most likely be cancelled and never launch.
It's Delta, they'll probably just add more frequencies to ICN.
the next TPAC flight, likely to SIN, probably just got moved up.
in addition, DL is supposed to receive a number of 35Ks in the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2027 in time for launch of more routes by July, even above MNL going to daily.
Obviously good move by Delta, because flying to RUH now (even in 6 months) seems dubious at best, especially if the seats were a hard sell before the recent attacks. (The subsidies simply aren't worth it.) Whether it's SIN, or more frequencies to TYO, SYD, TATL, etc., all better ideas for the airline, its crews, and passengers.
How do you know subsidies ain't worth it @1990_?
Stop talking like Tim Dunn and pretend to know everything.
Do you know how much money PIF has.
Subsidizing Delta might even cost less than building an extra inch on The Line.
Eskimo, no one, not Tim, you, or I, needs further details to know that people dying from literal missiles hitting the airport, repeatedly, is enough… whatever the subsidies may be, they’re just not worth it (for Delta to operate there). The issue isn’t how much money KSA has to waste.
Hence why I'm calling out greedy Ed.
People died.
Subsidies are factored against canceling the low load flight.
If it weren't for subsidies, Ed would have called off since Thursday. Giving him till Friday was already generous.
Eskimo, no doubt, Ed, especially with his $100m incentive package, is ample greedy, and the ‘greed’ of the original RUH idea is well-noted; however, calling this off today verses last week is not a big deal. The fact that they finally did so is what actually matters. Objectively, good call.
Like I said about the MAX incident.
Doing so early shows you really care.
Doing so later shows you're running out of excuses.
FAA and Ed are made for each other at the expense of the public.
Do you have sauce or insider info for SIN moving up, or is that just an educated guess, or wishful thinking?
So Tim just to clarify, United now has more flights to the Middle East than Delta? Just confirming that after your bet months ago that Delta was going to be the only US airline to be flying to the Middle East?
And you’re saying Delta is going to redeploy the A350s on TPAC, the only region where their yield growth doesn’t meet their capacity growth (so they literally dilute their yield lol)
They blew it, Timbits, and all out of greed. And who cares about the Long Flaming Turds? The airlines I fly didn't order them, so they're irrelevant in addition to being smelly inferior Airbi.
homeless,
UA most certainly has ordered both versions of the 350; they just couldn't figure out when they really wanted them so delayed the order so long that Rolls Royce says 10 year old pricing no longer applies - which UA wants to argue about.
and Andy,
DL's PASSENGER RASM is yield and DL is carrying far more cargo per flight on the 359s than UA on every other TPAC airplane except the...
homeless,
UA most certainly has ordered both versions of the 350; they just couldn't figure out when they really wanted them so delayed the order so long that Rolls Royce says 10 year old pricing no longer applies - which UA wants to argue about.
and Andy,
DL's PASSENGER RASM is yield and DL is carrying far more cargo per flight on the 359s than UA on every other TPAC airplane except the 77W which burns as much extra fuel as the extra cargo it carries. DL's cargo number will only increase when the 35Ks come onboard.
and when you factor in that DL paid 53 cents/gallon less than UA in the 2nd quarter and that number could well be north of 75 cents/gallon by the end of the year, DL can afford to subsidize alot of passenger and cargo revenue through its lower fuel costs and still end up wiht higher TPAC margins.
DL couldn't have come up w/ better timing to grow its TPAC network; there is no US carrier competition to the Arabian Peninsula right now and UA has certainly not given any indication of when it will restart DXB.
UA could, of course, use all of those new 787 deliveries to replace 777-200/ERs if it wants to remotely come close to being able to compete with DL over the Pacific or anywhere else where UA uses its 777s.
LTD says, "DL couldn't have come up w/ better timing..."
Amazing!
Aww, nice to see the ole gang is back!
Tim I don't really care about this nonsense that you're writing, you were once again proven wrong. Your prediction that Delta would be the only US airline flying to the Middle East when this launched was not just wrong because other US airlines fly to the Middle East already but this route was delayed... Your bet was wrong, you should just admit it.
As you and Gary both discussed over on VFTW. The 53c a...
Tim I don't really care about this nonsense that you're writing, you were once again proven wrong. Your prediction that Delta would be the only US airline flying to the Middle East when this launched was not just wrong because other US airlines fly to the Middle East already but this route was delayed... Your bet was wrong, you should just admit it.
As you and Gary both discussed over on VFTW. The 53c a gallon is not only misleading its not even correct on a TPAC flight so I don't know why you would say it. You literally said that AK and UA have more west coast flying so pay more. When Delta flies from the west coast, it also pays more. So why don't you follow your own words, and if you can't tell us Delta's fuel advantage to the cent on a TPAC flight, then the advantage doesn't exist - This is the logic you use on every other argument. So show us the numbers or be quiet.
no one including me or the Saudis could have foreseen the violence that was on the eastern side of the Arabian peninsula would spill over and be magnified above the airport targets that DXB, DOH and other airports became over the past 8 months.
as for fuel, you can argue all you want but DL has a massive fuel cost advantage right now that happens to be right as it is aggressively growing its...
no one including me or the Saudis could have foreseen the violence that was on the eastern side of the Arabian peninsula would spill over and be magnified above the airport targets that DXB, DOH and other airports became over the past 8 months.
as for fuel, you can argue all you want but DL has a massive fuel cost advantage right now that happens to be right as it is aggressively growing its international operation.
Even if DL pays "market prices" for fuel on the west coast, it pays far less in the eastern US and esp. NYC.
If DL has a 53 cent SYSTEM fuel cost advantage because of the refinery and related, then its direct cost benefit in NYC means it is likely operating at fuel costs of pennies on the dollar
Don't be so dense.
AA, DL and UA are all network airlines. Whatever advantage they have on one part of their network is used to build and sustain other parts of their network.
DL just happens to have a massive fuel cost advantage EVEN BEFORE considering that DL has no 777s left which are the least fuel efficient TPAC capable aircraft while UA still flies dozens of flights per day on 777s of either variety
Who could have foreseen that conflict in the Middle East could spread... I mean like literally every Middle East analyst said stuff like this was likely... Also you could have foreseen other airlines flying to TLV by now given they had literally already announced their return when you made the bet lol.
Tim, Delta burns 1.8% more fuel per ASM than United at $4.50 a gallon you're talking about a 10c gap so suddenly Delta's...
Who could have foreseen that conflict in the Middle East could spread... I mean like literally every Middle East analyst said stuff like this was likely... Also you could have foreseen other airlines flying to TLV by now given they had literally already announced their return when you made the bet lol.
Tim, Delta burns 1.8% more fuel per ASM than United at $4.50 a gallon you're talking about a 10c gap so suddenly Delta's refinery contribution of 13c looks a lot less pretty - the 10c gap has been widening every quarter by the way.. So your "they have no 777s" advantage - I mean great work, if they had a better fleet, they'd be more efficient not less efficient than United. You basically say they have a 2.5% fuel price advantage but then they burn 1.8% more fuel but you never mention that part. It also gives you your answer Tim, Delta flies a less efficient fleet on the East Coast where they have a fuel cost advantage because that's where they have a fuel burn disadvantage. Most of their fuel cost advantage at 53c a gallon comes from MTM hedging that is by no means structural. As someone that literally works in equity analysis, investment gains like that are considered very low quality earnings because they are often 50/50 and can't be relied upon.
first, I never included TLV in the prediction but DL has been right in/out of TLV as fast as UA has been.
Thank you for telling the Saudis that they were too stupid to have prevented this.
Do you tell people that 9/11 shouldn't have happened because the WTC had been hit by terrorism before? You truly are as breathtakingly arrogant as you are ignorant.
but let's face it that, when you can't...
first, I never included TLV in the prediction but DL has been right in/out of TLV as fast as UA has been.
Thank you for telling the Saudis that they were too stupid to have prevented this.
Do you tell people that 9/11 shouldn't have happened because the WTC had been hit by terrorism before? You truly are as breathtakingly arrogant as you are ignorant.
but let's face it that, when you can't admit that DL really has a huge advantage that UA can't match, you distort and manipulate everything you can.
And if you mileage adjust UA's fuel efficiency to the same length as AA and DL's and include all regional operations, UA's is actually the LEAST fuel efficient US airline.
and even over the Pacific, AA and DL don't use 777s because it makes sense to use their most efficient aircraft on your longest flights.
no, Andy, DL's 53 cent/gallon gain was not paper MTM gains. you simply have no clue how to read DL's financial statements if you come to that conclusion.
The real issue that you can't admit is that DL DOES currently have a massive fuel cost advantage - at least $700 million this year after $770 million in 2022-23 - and they are using it to grow on the west coast and TPAC and UA is in DL's crosshairs after DL's success with AA, B6 and WN over the past five years.
"You truly are as breathtakingly arrogant as you are ignorant."
No better words to describe of Tim, by Tim, for Tim himself.
and Delta still has a massive fuel advantage = which you don't want to hear
When someone is right, admit it.
And when they say that DL's fuel cost advantage is just MTM manipulation, they need to be called out
and when they say that Saudi Arabia should have know this was coming, you simply have to shake your head.
Tim, would you say the fuel advantage is temporary or permanent?
If temporary, should DL be making permanent route planning decisions?
How much would the profit gap be between UA and DL without this fuel advantage? What happens when the advantage diminishes?
If the advantages is most pronounced on the east coast, why does DL keep cutting NYC routes while UA increases its size advantage and relevance in NYC?
Why are DL’s TPAC PRASM and...
Tim, would you say the fuel advantage is temporary or permanent?
If temporary, should DL be making permanent route planning decisions?
How much would the profit gap be between UA and DL without this fuel advantage? What happens when the advantage diminishes?
If the advantages is most pronounced on the east coast, why does DL keep cutting NYC routes while UA increases its size advantage and relevance in NYC?
Why are DL’s TPAC PRASM and yield not keeping up with their capacity additions, unlike UA and AA, who are adding more profitable flying in the region?
Tim, even with DL’s “incredible” planes that give them a huge advantage TPAC, their performance in that region is a drag on system financial performance, with the capacity additions outpacing PRASM and yields?
And though you’re admitting their west coast fuel is not at better levels than UA or AS, you’re saying their fuel advantage is in NYC, where they have cut service to 12 destinations from JFK and fall further behind UA?
Why is...
Tim, even with DL’s “incredible” planes that give them a huge advantage TPAC, their performance in that region is a drag on system financial performance, with the capacity additions outpacing PRASM and yields?
And though you’re admitting their west coast fuel is not at better levels than UA or AS, you’re saying their fuel advantage is in NYC, where they have cut service to 12 destinations from JFK and fall further behind UA?
Why is it so hard for DL to compete outside of their fortress hubs, even with these fantastic planes?
And SIN was just moved up? Will they start it and then end it before March, when the A350 goes back to its Riyadh routing?
Why did DL ever think Riyadh would be a better performer than SIN in the first place? They could have been starting SIN in two weeks. They could have been starting a flight to anywhere in Asia in two weeks.
Mark,
just stop with your jealous non-sense.
DL is growing its TPAC network and doing it more profitably precisely because it has such a large fuel cost advantage which is just as much of a system benefit as you think that UA's larger international system is supposed to benefit UA's 4th place domestic network.
You also can't seem to admit that DL is growing its cargo revenue faster than UA - precisely because the...
Mark,
just stop with your jealous non-sense.
DL is growing its TPAC network and doing it more profitably precisely because it has such a large fuel cost advantage which is just as much of a system benefit as you think that UA's larger international system is supposed to benefit UA's 4th place domestic network.
You also can't seem to admit that DL is growing its cargo revenue faster than UA - precisely because the 359 is a far better cargo airplane even before the 35K arrives.
as for fortress hubs, how come UA didn't realize the value of a fortress hub at its hometown airport until 2 years ago - and has average fares about $100 lower than DL at DTW and MSP?
DL has 20 A350-1000s comingi over the next 2 years. They have far more ultra long range and heavy cargo capable aircraft coming than any other US airline
DL is adding NRT and MNL so far for 2027 and the chances are much higher that there could be a few more routes announced before the end of this year to start in 2027.
quit showing you afraid you are of DL's TPAC buildup which is directly challenging UA- which I said years ago would come even as UA fights to grow its domestic network to move it out of 4th place .
Jealousy? We don’t all feel the emotions you do regarding the airline industry.
Tim, you made my point. DL’s profits are because of fortress hubs that subsidize its less profitable flying where it has to compete.
You’re arguing against the numbers DL themselves put out. Yes their system numbers are up but TPAC numbers are down. Their PRASM and yield did not go up as quickly as their capacity increased, as opposed to...
Jealousy? We don’t all feel the emotions you do regarding the airline industry.
Tim, you made my point. DL’s profits are because of fortress hubs that subsidize its less profitable flying where it has to compete.
You’re arguing against the numbers DL themselves put out. Yes their system numbers are up but TPAC numbers are down. Their PRASM and yield did not go up as quickly as their capacity increased, as opposed to UA and AA, who both saw yield outpace capacity growth.
If you think that’s incorrect, contact Ed Bastien.