Delta Air Lines is back with a number of exciting new routes.
This time, however, the Atlanta-based airline is primarily expanding point-to-point connectivity rather than adding bases to its major hub airports.
Specifically, the airline is adding the following five routes later this year, airline spokesman Drake Castañeda confirmed.
- Austin-Las Vegas.
- Austin-Orlando.
- Las Vegas-Sacramento.
- Las Vegas-San Diego.
- New York-Nassau, Bahamas.
CIRIUM
All of the above routes begin on October 9th, with the exception of the new LaGuardia service, which will start on December 16th – just in time for the busy winter holiday season.
Delta will fly twice daily between Las Vegas and San Diego, with the other new flights operating once daily. These new flights will be added to Delta’s flight schedule over the weekend and are available for booking no later than Monday, July 10th.
As you can see, the airline’s additions from Austin and Las Vegas don’t touch a hub. Instead, these point-to-point flights connect busy origin and destination (O&D) markets that have high non-stop demand. (It’s also why Delta will have so much competition on these routes, from competitors like American Airlines to Spirit Airlines to Southwest Airlines and even a few other airlines.)
Interestingly, Austin has been one of the hottest aviation markets in recent years. A number of airlines have increased service to the Texas capital during the pandemic. Perhaps most notably, American has added several tranches of new routes as it expands its presence in the city.
Before the pandemic, Delta considered Austin as one of its five focus cities — those cities are Austin, Cincinnati, Nashville, Raleigh-Durham, and San Jose, California — a list that has since been narrowed down to just two major airports: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS ) and Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).
Since Austin is still a focus city for the airline, Delta’s growth there shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. According to Cirium’s flight schedules, the airline last flew between Austin and Orlando in January 2015, while the Las Vegas route is new to the airline.
As one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country, Austin sees a steady influx of companies moving to the area. In addition, the city is a popular destination for leisure travelers with its vibrant arts and entertainment scene.
In addition to Delta, American, Alaska, Allegiant Air, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest recently unveiled new routes to Austin.
As for Vegas, the city also attracts millions of leisure and business travelers each year, and Delta’s new routes there should help strengthen its presence in Sin City and along the West Coast. (It’s worth noting that the Vegas to San Diego route is technically a resume as of April 2020, according to Cirium’s schedules.)
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
Finally, there’s the exciting new seasonal daily flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Nassau, departing December 16 and running through April 7, 2024.
There are not often new international connections to and from LGA as the airport does not have a federal control station for customs and immigration formalities. As a result, only international flights arriving from pre-cleared destinations that offer US Customs and immigration inspections prior to departure can be flown to LaGuardia.
One such airport is Nassau. So when you arrive at LaGuardia, you are essentially treated as if you landed on a domestic flight.
The addition of this new service from New York will be a direct competitor to JetBlue’s existing flights in this market. LaGuardia is the airport of choice for many New York City residents, so Delta should have no problem marketing this new service to those looking to have fun in the sun this winter.
Delta last flew between the two cities in January 2017, and the airline’s existing service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Nassau will not change as part of this update.
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