Delta Air Lines To Boost Airbus A350-900 Frequencies Between Los Angeles & Melbourne

Why It Matters

Daily nonstop service deepens Delta’s foothold in the lucrative Australia‑US market and intensifies alliance competition on a high‑yield trans‑Pacific corridor.

Key Takeaways

• Delta raises LAX‑Melbourne flights to daily by Dec 22.
• Service uses premium‑heavy Airbus A350‑900 with 275 seats.
• Daily flights continue through Southern Hemisphere summer, then reduce.
• Delta becomes only A350 operator on this city pair.
• Competition includes United and Qantas Boeing 787‑9s.

Pulse Analysis

Delta Air Lines is accelerating its non‑stop service between Los Angeles International Airport and Melbourne, moving from three weekly flights to a daily schedule by December 22, 2026. The airline introduced the route only three months ago, and rapid uptake has prompted a phased increase—four flights from October 13, five from October 27, and finally daily through the Southern Hemisphere summer. Maintaining the same departure times, Delta aims to capture both leisure and business travelers seeking a direct West Coast gateway to Australia’s cultural capital, reinforcing its position as LAX’s largest carrier.

Delta has chosen the Airbus A350‑900 for the LAX‑Melbourne link, a premium‑heavy aircraft that seats 275 passengers, including 40 Delta One suites and a sizable Delta Premium Select cabin. This configuration offers a higher proportion of premium product than the Boeing 787‑9s operated by United and Qantas on the same corridor, giving Delta a distinct value proposition for high‑yield travelers. The A350’s long‑range efficiency also supports daily nonstop operations without compromising fuel economics, allowing the carrier to compete on price and service quality while showcasing its modern fleet.

The expanded frequency signals growing demand for trans‑Pacific travel and positions Melbourne as a key tourism and business hub for West Coast passengers. By sustaining daily service through the peak summer period and then scaling back to five flights per week in early 2027, Delta balances capacity with seasonal demand, a strategy common among legacy carriers. The move also intensifies competition among the three major airline alliances—SkyTeam, Star Alliance and oneworld—potentially prompting United and Qantas to adjust their own schedules or aircraft mix to retain market share.

Delta Air Lines To Boost Airbus A350-900 Frequencies Between Los Angeles & Melbourne

Aaron Bailey · Feb 16 2026, 7:29 PM EST

Delta Air Lines is expanding its presence at Melbourne Airport, Australia, with the airline’s latest news that it will boost its services to MEL from three times weekly to daily by the end of the year. The SkyTeam carrier, which only launched this route to the Victorian capital three months ago, will gradually increase services to Melbourne from three times weekly to four times weekly, then five times weekly, before going daily on December 22.

As first reported by Executive Traveller, daily flights are planned to continue across the Southern Hemisphere summer season, providing an easy non‑stop link for those in California to Melbourne, with plans to then reduce capacity down to five days a week from March 2027. Currently, Delta operates its premium‑heavy Airbus A350‑900 on the route.

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Steady Increase To Daily Services For Christmas

Credit: Shutterstock

As previously mentioned, Delta only debuted on the route to Melbourne from Los Angeles International Airport late last year, and with increased interest for travel on the city pair, the SkyTeam carrier will increase to four weekly service from October 13, before uplifting this to five weekly from October 27, before finally going daily from December 22, through to late March 2027.

Flight arrival and departure times are expected to remain the same, albeit with the increased capacity. Delta Air Lines deploys its Airbus A350‑900 on the route, which includes up to 40 Delta One Suites, and remains the only airline offering A350s on the city pair (compared to United Airlines and Qantas, which fly the Boeing 787‑9).

Simple Flying reached out to Delta Air Lines for comment on the increase in services to Melbourne. However, we did not immediately receive a response by the time this article was published.

Credit: GCMap

With steady growth and demand for travel between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Delta took off from Los Angeles with its first non‑stop route to Melbourne in December, reflecting the airline’s commitment to “connecting customers with the world’s most exciting destinations.” Delta remains the largest carrier at LAX, and Melbourne became the airline’s third non‑stop route to Australia after Brisbane and Sydney.

| Airbus A350‑900 Cabin | Number of Seats |

|-----------------------|-----------------|

| Delta Main Cabin | 159 |

| Delta Main Extra | 36 |

| Delta Premium Select | 40 |

| Delta One | 40 |

| Total Seats | 275 |

Services to Melbourne have provided travelers with the choice to visit some of Australia’s most magnificent landscapes, including being the gateway to the Great Ocean Road, Yarra Valley, and Phillip Island. Melbourne is also a hotspot for food and entertainment, and remains one of the fastest‑growing cities in Australia.

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Between Los Angeles and Melbourne, the route uniquely has three different airlines, all belonging to the three major airline alliances battling it out for supremacy:

• United Airlines (Star Alliance) provides multiple weekly flights onboard its Boeing 787‑9 on the route, complementing its existing services from San Francisco to Melbourne year‑round.

• Qantas (oneworld) remains the only Australian carrier serving Los Angeles from Melbourne. The airline also utilizes its Boeing 787‑9 to serve LAX with daily flights, and during seasonal peaks its Airbus A380 is occasionally deployed on the route. Qantas also serves Los Angeles nonstop from Sydney and Brisbane.