In what is a welcome boost for Queensland and Australian air capacity and connectivity, Delta Air Lines (DL) has launched a new service in Brisbane (BNE) today, offering three seasonal flights per week to and from Los Angeles (LAX).
Delta Air Lines’s inaugural flight DL93 from LAX, which touched down on Friday, 6 December, featured Delta’s special LA28 Olympics livery, symbolically linking the host cities of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, with Brisbane, the host city for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Delta Air Lines is flying an Airbus A350-900 on its new LA route, which can seat 306 passengers. This news means that as of today, BNE has 31 flights per week from North America by five carriers from four major hubs, representing 135 per cent of pre-COVID capacity.
Overall, DL will increase the number of seats between LAX and BNE by 56 per cent, increasing the number of tourists flowing into Queensland. Brisbane Airport now has direct connections to 32 international cities and 62 locations across the nation, making it the most connected domestic airport in Australia.
“This one aircraft has today bridged two Olympic host cities and strengthened ties between the United States and Queensland,” said Brisbane Airport Chief Executive Officer Gert-Jan de Graaff.
“We are over the moon that Brisbane is now Delta’s second destination in Australia. The arrival of one of the world’s largest carriers speaks volumes about this city’s growing prominence as a global destination.
“This marks an unprecedented level of tourism, trade and connection between the people of Queensland and the United States and Canada.”
DL operates over 4,000 daily flights to nearly 280 destinations on six continents. Each A350-900 can also carry up to 20 tonnes of freight, boosting trade between Queensland and the U.S.
Sharing her excitement of the news, Flight Centre Corporate COO Melissa Elf said the raft of new services introduced in recent years, from Brisbane between Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, meant the Sunshine State capital was well and truly leading the charge for U.S. capacity.
“The growth rate in capacity between Brisbane and North America tells us that the need for connectivity between our two nations is at an all-time high,” Ms Elf said. “This will be the fourth North American aviation giant to touchdown at Brisbane Airport, and for Delta, this will mark its most extensive schedule to the South Pacific in its history.”
Jeff Moomaw, Delta’s Vice President for Asia Pacific, said, “My Delta colleagues and I are thrilled at the launch of our Brisbane service and the convenience it will offer to travellers in Australia and throughout North America.
“We have invested significantly to make Delta’s LAX terminal the most modern, easy-to-navigate gateway airport for Australia-U.S. travel, and we look forward to welcoming customers to a travel experience that is friendly and efficient on the ground and in the air.”
Flight Schedule
Brisbane to Los Angeles (DL92): Departs Brisbane at 10:45 AM, arriving in Los Angeles at 6:15 AM on the same day. Operates on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Los Angeles to Brisbane (DL93): Departs Los Angeles at 11:10 PM, arriving in Brisbane at 7:45 AM two days later. Operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Delta flights between Brisbane and LAX offer four cabins of service, including the only premium economy service currently offered between Brisbane and Los Angeles.
The U.S. is Brisbane’s fifth most significant source of international visitors to the state.
DL93’s landing was live-streamed to a global audience, and a watch party was held in Los Angeles to celebrate Delta’s connection between the two cities. Got a spare two plus hours? Watch it below.
