Starting March 26th, Delta Air Lines will launch direct flights between Los Angeles International (LAX) and London Heathrow (LHR) using the Airbus A330neo. According to an airline statement, Delta Air Lines will use A330-900s to provide a premium experience.
The new route and schedule
Below is, according to FlightRadar24.com, the schedule for the daily flights flying 5,456 miles or 8,781 kilometers starting late March 25th, with all times local:
| Flight | From | ETD | To | ETA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL186 | Los Angeles (LAX) | 20:35 | London-Heathrow (LHR) | 14:50 +1 |
| DL187 | London-Heathrow (LHR) | 16:20 | Los Angeles (LAX) | 19:50 |
New route complements other service
In the Delta Air Lines statement, Nicolas Ferri, Delta’s vice president Europe, Middle East, Africa & India explained this route is “offering more nonstop choice.” Ferri explained that from London Heathrow, there are now direct flights to eight US airports and 200 connections from those eight airports. According to the Delta Air Lines statement noting the airline is a partner with Virgin Atlantic,
Delta’s new Los Angeles flight complements transatlantic partner Virgin Atlantic’s existing three daily services from London Heathrow, offering customers a greater choice of services to the US West Coast. Together the airlines will offer up to 278 weekly services between the UK and the United States during the peak travel months.
Furthermore, according to Cirium and the aforementioned statement, the following airlines provide connections between LAX and LHR:
| Airline | Airframe | Frequency | Weekly Total Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 777-300ER | 2x Wed-Sat, 1x Sun-Tue | 3,344 |
| British Airlines | A350 + 777-300ER | 3x daily | 6,573 |
| Delta Air Lines | A330-900 | 1x daily | 1,967 |
| United Airlines | 787-9 | 1x daily | 1,799 |
| Virgin Airlines | A350-1000 | 2x daily | 4,690 |
It’s clear that once you pair the 1,967 weekly seats of Delta Air Lines’ new route with Virgin Airlines’ 4,690, you get 6,657 total seats for the SkyWorld Alliance to get a slight edge over oneworld’s British Airlines. Overall, oneworld with American Airlines and British Airlines gets 9,917 weekly seats on the route.
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Passenger experience
In Delta Air Line’s statement, the airline shared what passengers can expect onboard. The airline is pledging an onboard experience that includes for the Delta One Suite passengers Someone Somewhere amenity kits, plush bedding, and increased meal choices.
For those in lower classes of seating, don’t fret. You will still get a seat-back screen, in-seat power, and WiFi for purchase until the end of 2024, when WiFi will become free. Below is a Delta Air Lines photo of the A330-900 main cabin:
About the Airbus A330-900neo
The first aircraft scheduled to fly the route is registered N419DX. The aircraft, according to ch-aviation.com, was ordered on October 30th, 2017, and had its first flight on July 14th, 2022. N419DX with two Rolls-Royce Trent 7000-12 engines was delivered on August 29th, 2022, with a current market value of over $90.7 million.
N419DX is configured with 168 economy seats, 56 economy plus, 28 premium select, and 29 business class seats for a total of 281 seats. You can see a passenger experience in economy below:
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Like all other Airbus A330-900neos, N419DX has a cruising speed of 537 mph or 864 km/h with a range of 6,995 miles/11,257 km.
Will you use Delta Air Lines or another airline to make the connection between Los Angeles International and London Heathrow? Please share in the comment section.
Source: FlightRadar24.com; Cirium; ch-aviation.com