Delta Air Lines has announced a new international service to the “land down under” for the peak southern summer season. Starting on December 4, 2024, the carrier will fly a new three-times-weekly nonstop service between Los Angeles and Brisbane on Australia’s eastern coastline. Brisbane is Australia’s third-largest city and is home to 2.5 million people.
The new service, which will be seasonal to start with, will operate from December 4, 2024, to March 8, 2025. Flights will be operated by the airline’s long-haul Airbus A350-900 aircraft which each seat 306 passengers in a four-class layout. The airline currently has 28 of the type in its fleet with a further 16 on order.
With the addition of the new services to Brisbane International Airport (BNE), Delta will offer up to 17 weekly flights to South Pacific destinations, which will be the largest northern winter schedule in the carrier’s history.
“With this addition of Brisbane, Delta’s upcoming winter schedule will offer our customers up to 17 weekly flights between the US and Australia,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s Senior Vice President of Network Planning. “This marks our most extensive schedule to the South Pacific to date, and as we build our presence in the region, we know our customers will enjoy the enhanced experience consistently provided by Delta.”
With the addition of Brisbane flights, Delta will serve two cities in Australia – the other being Sydney (SYD). According to the airline, its flights give customers “ample opportunities to immerse themselves in the charm of Down Under. In Brisbane, Australia’s third-largest city, travelers can indulge in top-tier art galleries, scenic cycling trails, and vibrant food markets, and visit the world’s largest koala sanctuary. The city’s proximity allows easy access to the Gold Coast, Noosa, or the option to venture north to relish the wonders of The Great Barrier Reef or westward for an immersive Outback experience.”
Meanwhile, at the originating end of the route in Los Angeles, Delta passengers will be able to access over 40 destinations through connections at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Delta is currently the busiest international airline operating from the Californian airport.
Delta’s new Los Angeles to Brisbane route is the latest in a series of investments the airline is making in the South Pacific region. In winter 2022, Delta introduced a second frequency from Los Angeles to Sydney and this service has since been upgraded to a twice daily, 14-per-week service. In October 2023, the airline also launched daily services from Los Angeles to Auckland (AKL) in New Zealand and began a three-times-weekly service to Tahiti in December 2022.
Delta’s Brisbane announcement follows in the footsteps of other US carriers who are also expanding operations to the state of Queensland since the pandemic. Currently, the airport’s US connections are to San Francisco (SFO) via United, Qantas to Los Angeles, and Air Canada which serves Vancouver (YVR).
However, American Airlines recently announced the start of a direct service between Dallas-Fort Worth and Brisbane starting on October 26, 2024. Flights from Dallas will be operated by the carrier’s Boeing 787-9s.