DELTA AIRLINES: Launches subsidised seasonal route between Melbourne and LAX

Starting in December 2025, Delta Air Lines will add Melbourne to its global network as a government subsidised seasonal route. Delta is one of the world’s largest airlines. It’s large domestic footprint in America will allow Australians to transfer to Delta flights across the USA.

Delta will be the third airline to service this route, joining Qantas (code share with American Airlines) and United Airlines.

Delta already services Brisbane with another subsidised seasonal route. United also flies between Sydney and LAX.

Flight Schedule and Expansion Plans

The new seasonal route will operate three times a week. Significantly, Delta has marked it as a ‘seasonal’ service. Delta also runs a seasonal service between Brisbane and LAX, which runs from December to March. That might be a guide to the seasonality of this Melbourne to LAX service.

No flight numbers have been allocated yet. Flights, conducted on an Airbus A350-900 will run as follows:

• To LAX: departs Melbourne (MEL) 10:25 (Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays) arrives Los Angeles (LAX) 06:10 same day.
• To MEL: departs Los Angeles (LAX) 09:25 (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays), arrives Melbourne (MEL) 08:15 (+2)

Delta plans to expand the service as more of its long-haul Airbus A350 aircraft join the fleet.

A First for the Airbus A350 on This Route

Delta will be the first airline to operate the Airbus A350 non-stop between Melbourne and the United States. The 275-seat aircraft features Delta’s new four-class cabin configuration, including 40 premium Delta One suites.

The Delta four-class configuration maps to Business Class (Delta One Suites), Premium Economy (Delta Premium Select), and two forms of Economy seats (Delta Comfort + and Main Cabin). Delta Comfort has an 86cm (34″) pitch compared to 79 to 81cm (31-32″) pitch in the Main Cabin.

Connections

Delta runs a hub in Los Angeles, with onward connections to over 40 cities across the U.S.

2PAXfly Takeout

Always good to have a new player on a route. But a seasonal route, three times a week for roughly three months of the year is not revolutionary. Looks like it’s designed for Delta USA customers to escape the northern hemisphere winter, and for Australians heading for the USA snowfields.

It’s also an example of subsidies influencing airline route decisions. The Victorian Government set up a fund to attract through subsidies, particularly airline services to Melbourne. This is another example of the taxpayer paying big business for a service which they may, or may not have provided anyway.

The same thing happened with the Brisbane to LAX route, which also attracts a subsidy from the Queensland Government.

Don’t expect either of these seasonal routes to continue once the subsidy ends.

Another USA big business sucking at the teat of the Australian taxpayer, in my opinion. Again showing that enterprise is not free, just like American speech.

Giving up my soapbox now.