The Battle Between Delta and American Heats Up Again

The battle continues between Delta and American. In February, Delta signed an agreement with American’s former codeshare partner, LATAM, and dubbed Miami (an American hub) as a new focus city. Then, the two started going head-to-head in Seattle and Boston, with American adding two nonstops out of Seattle (where Delta has a strong presence), and both adding competing routes out of Boston. Now, Delta is further fueling the competition by launching a daily nonstop from Seattle to American’s home turf – Dallas-Fort Worth.

The New Route

Launching June 8th, Delta will operate a thrice-daily roundtrip between Seattle and Dallas, using an A220-100 for the journey. The new nonstop will eliminate the layover in Atlanta and shave off nearly two hours of travel time for passengers. Delta Vice President Tony Gonchar said in a statement, “With our extensive partner service from Seattle on Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Korean Air, and Aeromexico, customers can expect a seamless journey across the globe.”

The new route is in response to American’s partnership with Alaska Airlines and new nonstops from Seattle to London and Bangalore, India. American’s move into Seattle was a major blow to Delta, but it’s obvious Delta is not backing down. Its Dallas flight will directly compete with American, who currently holds 80% of the airport’s market share with nearly 900 daily flights.

Other Delta Plans

Delta’s new service is the first of many. The airline is also launching a Seattle to Columbus, Ohio (CMH) route beginning June 8th, and has plans to start flights to Austin, Orlando, and London as well. The flights to Columbus, Austin, and Orlando will directly compete with Alaska, and the flight to London will compete with American.