Delta Air Lines will launch nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Melbourne
Third-largest carrier in the United States, Delta Air Lines says it will launch nonstop flights between its hub Los Angeles in California and Melbourne in Australia later this year.
In a press statement, Delta says that the new service will initially operate three times a week from early December, with plans to grow as it receives more long-haul Airbus A350 aircraft to join its fleet.
The statement adds that its latest-generation A350-900 aircraft deployed to Melbourne will feature 40 ‘Delta One’ suites, 40 premium economy class, and 195 economy class seats, including 36 extra legroom seats.
Delta says that the new flights will feed into Delta’s Los Angeles hub, where the airline provides onward connections to more than 40 cities across the United States.
Lorie Argus
The announcement of the launch of Delta’s service to Melbourne has been welcomed by Melbourne Airport and its CEO Lorie Argus says it was a vote of confidence in Victoria and an exciting opportunity for the state.
“Delta is one of the largest airlines in the world and is consistently rated one of North America’s best carriers, so we’re thrilled to have them adding Melbourne to their network because of the opportunities it presents for Victorians and Victorian business,” says Argus.
“North America is an incredibly important inbound market for us, and we are proud to be partnering with Visit Victoria to help restore capacity on the Los Angeles route and incentivise North American tourists to make Melbourne their first stop,” she adds.
Delta says that its new service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Melbourne (MEL) will operate three times weekly, with flights departing LAX at 21:25 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, arriving in Melbourne at 08:15 local time two days later.
The return flights depart Melbourne at 10:25 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, arriving in Los Angeles at 06:10 local time the same day.