Delta Air Lines is poised to become the third-largest international airline operator in the United States this September. The airline plans to operate an average of 231 daily international departures throughout the month, effectively doubling that number when accounting for return flights. However, these international services will make up only 10% of Delta’s overall operations.
Delta’s third-place ranking stems from its extensive service to Canada and Mexico, which collectively account for approximately 20% of all US international flights. The airline’s partnerships with Aeromexico and WestJet help to balance this focus. Despite its impressive volume, Delta generally doesn’t lead among US carriers in most international markets, with the exception of countries within the SkyTeam alliance and select African nations.
Delta’s international network is robust, with 176 planned international routes in September. An impressive 134 of these routes will operate at least once daily, with 40 seeing double daily service and 18 offering triple daily flights. Delta’s primary hub, Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport, unsurprisingly leads in international departures. Other major Delta hubs include New York JFK, Minneapolis, Detroit, Seattle, Salt Lake City, New York LaGuardia, Boston, Los Angeles, Miami (notably with flights to Havana), Honolulu, Portland, and Cincinnati.
To qualify as Delta’s most-served routes, they must have at least 100 monthly departures. Several routes to Canada and Mexico meet this criterion, highlighting Delta’s strong presence and strategic connections in North America.
Delta also maintains a strong presence in the long-haul market, particularly on routes to Europe. A minimum of 90 monthly departures is used as the benchmark for Delta’s most-served long-haul routes. Six routes, all heading to Europe, meet this criteria. These routes highlight Delta’s strategic partnerships within the SkyTeam alliance and its transatlantic joint ventures with KLM, Air France, and Virgin Atlantic.
While Delta’s Atlanta to Paris Charles de Gaulle route is a crucial link in its transatlantic network, it falls just short of ranking among the most-served long-haul routes. In September, the route is scheduled for 81 departures. The frequency typically runs at triple daily, but it drops to double daily on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays starting from September 10. This slight reduction in frequency prevents the route from meeting the 90 monthly departure threshold required to be among Delta’s top long-haul routes. Despite this, the route remains a vital connection, leveraging Delta’s partnership with Air France, and ensures robust connectivity for travelers between these two major hubs, maintaining Delta’s strong presence in the transatlantic market.
