Delta ramping up to double-daily from Sydney to Los Angeles

Soaring demand between Australia and the United States is prompting Delta Air Lines to play its most confident hand yet on the Sydney-LAX route, boosting its existing 10-times-weekly service to an impressive double-daily from December 17.

The move leaves the SkyTeam member’s route challengers in the dust, delivering significantly more connections than the eight weekly hops of Qantas, and twice as many of its US rivals American Airlines and United, which both take off seven flights a piece. 

However, the boost is only be temporary, with schedules showing frequency slipping back to just a single daily flight from March 28. 

Come December 17 until the end of March, Delta’s daily schedule from Sydney will be:

• DL40, jetting off from Sydney at 11:20am before touching down in Los Angeles at 6:05am the same day.
• DL42, seeing wheels up at 2:15pm and wheels down at 9:05am the same day.

From LAX, the evening departures are as follows:

• DL43, lifting off at 8:35pm and arriving into Sydney at 6:50am two days later.
• DL41, departing at 10:10pm and landing at 8:10am two days later.

Both flights feature Delta’s flagship Airbus A350, where the Delta One Suites in business class offer not only fully flat beds and direct aisle access for every passenger, but also a closing privacy door to help maximise rest on those trans-Pacific treks. 

Premium economy, branded as Delta Premium Select, also appears on the A350s, providing a comfortable reclining seat with a sturdy leg-rest, ample legroom, high-definition seat-back entertainment and more, as well as complimentary inflight messaging via Delta WiFi.

On the return, SkyTeam Elite Plus members and those flying Delta One will be able to relax in the stunning LAX Sky Club lounge, while Delta One guests can also enjoy a new exclusive check-in area with direct lounge access on the lower arrivals level of Terminal 3.

Both are part of the airline’s ambitious $2.3 billion Delta Sky Way LAX development.

The lounge is said to be inspired by the city, its coastline, and the golden age of Hollywood.

The jewel of the Club is its Sky Deck, a year-round, all-weather terrace where guests can enjoy premium drinks and panoramic views of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood Hills.

There's a seat at the terrace with your name on it.

Delta’s lounge ambitions also include a network of Delta One lounges which will be exclusive to business class passengers and designed to complement its Delta One suites in the sky – the same approach as that taken by United Airlines' Polaris business class and lounges.

The first Delta One Club lounge will open at New York’s JFK Airport in early 2024, with a second to follow at LAX some time later in the year.

Additional reporting by David Flynn.