Last week, Delta Air Lines announced new nonstop service from Philadelphia to Los Angeles as part of a big expansion for the airline in Southern California.
But Delta’s other West Coast hub won’t be as lucky — at least when it comes to Philly service.
The carrier now plans to drop its route from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Seattle, a spokesperson confirmed to TPG.
Keep in mind, that was a new route the carrier had just added earlier this year.
It wasn’t the only route the airline cut, either.
Over the weekend, Delta also filed plans to end its service from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
In a statement, Delta said it had already contacted customers affected by the surprise changes — which came “as we continue to adjust our network based on customer demand.”
Philly-to-Seattle out, Philly-to-LAX in
Delta’s Philly service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) will run as planned through Nov. 30, which means any travelers who booked the route for the Thanksgiving holiday will be safe.
That service had been scheduled to wind down for the winter season and return in May 2027.
Now, Delta will not bring it back for the summer.
Instead, the carrier’s new Airbus A321neo service from Philly to LAX will start in June.
On top of that new LAX service, Delta still offers flights from PHL to most of its hubs — including Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City.
Plus, Philly and Seattle travelers still have access to nonstop service between the two cities; American Airlines and Alaska Airlines both operate the route.
Modest, but improved: Delta just doubled the size of its Philly Sky Club
Another route cut in NYC
As for Delta’s JFK-DFW service, that route will end on Jan. 4, 2027.
That cutback came after the carrier trimmed three cities from its JFK schedule in July, and two more earlier this month.
That said, Delta easily remains the top airline at JFK, where it operates its major transatlantic hub out of Terminal 4.
And, New York flyers can still hop on the airline’s nonstop DFW service from nearby LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
Read more: Delta plans major Asia growth, confirms Singapore flights are coming: ‘We’re going to be back’
Bottom line
These types of changes are pretty typical, since airlines routinely tweak and adjust their networks.
Oftentimes, when you see a bunch of flights added in one city (like what Delta’s doing at LAX) you’ll see some cutbacks elsewhere. After all, there are only so many planes to go around.
So it’s not entirely surprising to see a couple of routes disappear on the heels of the carrier unveiling its biggest summer schedule ever in Southern California for next summer.
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