Delta’s triple-play for Australia’s premium travellers

More flights, more business class seats, more connections: Delta Air Lines is swooping into Australian skies with a mix geared for appeal to business and corporate flyers as well as premium leisure travellers.

December 5 sees the launch of year-round flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles, complementing the popular Sydney-LAX route and the return of the seasonal Brisbane-LAX service from November 2025 through to March 2026.

Each Delta A350 now carries 40 Delta One suites.

Spearheading Delta’s advantage in the crowded skies between Australia and the USA will be a fleet of modern Airbus A350 jets with 40 private Delta One suites, up from the standard 32 berths.

Those 40 suites are matched by 40 Delta Premium Select recliners, with a 38” pitch, in their own cabin.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth and demand for premium travel, for enhanced comfort and a better experience,” reflects Rob LeBel, Delta’s Managing Director for International & Speciality Sales.

Relaxin the comfort of Delta One suites.

Boosting those premium seating options to almost one-third of the A350 meant slashing the number of standard economy seats, although the extra-legroom Delta Comfort class remains at 36 seats.

“We feel like that’s the right equation to maximise the demand for the aircraft.”

“It seems like consumers are setting aside a higher percent of their dollars to spend on travel versus in the past,” LeBel tells Executive Traveller.

Delta Premium Select continues to be a popular choice.

“We’ve especially seen tremendously strong demand for Premium Select,” he says.

The recliners “provide a nice cost-point” for holiday-makers and also for business travellers on a strict budget, who still want to arrive “more relaxed and refreshed.”

And despite the surge in online video meetings forced by the pandemic, "there’s no substitute for seeing your customers in person and building those relationships,” says LeBel.

“23 of my 25 years in Delta have been in sales, and there’s that old adage – if you’re not in front of the customer, your competition is.”

“We see online meetings and chats as complimentary to travel. It doesn't have to be binary, one or the other, it can be both… you can travel and be in front of your customers, but also do the Zoom calls when you need to as well.”

LAX's Delta Sky Way streamlines the stopover experience.

For passengers heading beyond Los Angeles, the Delta Sky Way at LAX offers arguably the fastest, most streamlined and dare we say most enjoyable transit at LAX.

This US$2.3 billion investment to upgrade and integrate Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 has created a modern and efficient west coast hub for Delta, with frequent connections to more than 40 major US cities including New York, Boston, Seattle and Atlanta, with direct flights to Chicago starting in June 2026.

“LAX is now an amazing customer experience, and we’ve steadily built up the LA network to where we can seamlessly connect customers from Australia to all the major business centres,” says LeBel.

The Delta One premium check-in suite at LAX.

A hallmark of the Sky Way experience for Delta One passengers is private check-in and dedicated security screening, leading directly to the luxurious Delta One Lounge (and the neighbouring also-schmick Delta Sky Club for travellers with frequent flyer status).

The exclusive Delta One Lounge at LAX.

Given the early-morning arrival from Australia into LAX, you might decide to while away a few hours here to freshen up with a shower (complete with complementary garment pressing), followed by à la carte breakfast on the outdoor terrace to soak up some Vitamin D.

The exclusive Delta One Lounge at LAX.

There’s even a sushi bar serving freshly made sushi rolls and a signature bento box menu.

With Delta One Lounges also at New York, Boston and Seattle – each reflecting the unique character of its destination, in everyone from decor to dining – LeBel says more of these business class-only lounges will be added to the US, including Delta’s home and mega-hub of Atlanta.