Delta Air Lines continues to post solid results across much of its international network, but a closer examination of route-level performance shows that several overseas services significantly underperformed, pointing to gaps in demand, network strategy, and competitive positioning.
According to an analysis by aviation publication Simple Flying, Delta carried approximately 29.1 million international passengers in the 12 months to October 2025. While the airline’s overall international seat load factor averaged a healthy 85.1%, a number of routes recorded substantially lower figures, with some filling barely half of available seats.
The analysis, based on the latest US Department of Transportation data, reviewed all of Delta’s international routes with at least 3,000 round-trip passengers, excluding temporary charter services. It reveals that, compared with its US peers, Delta remains smaller in international scale. American Airlines carried 37.6 million international passengers over the same period, while United Airlines transported 38.2 million.
Simple Flying notes that Delta’s weakest-performing international routes were a mix of long-haul and regional services, many of them operating outside the airline’s strongest hubs. Notably, no routes from Atlanta—Delta’s largest and most dominant hub—featured among the emptiest services, nor did routes from Detroit, Salt Lake City, or Seattle. This suggests that Delta’s hub-based strategy continues to deliver stronger and more consistent demand.
One of the clearest examples of underperformance was Delta’s Orlando–London Heathrow service, which operated seasonally from October 2024 to March 2025. The three-times-weekly route, flown with the Airbus A330-900, achieved an average load factor of just 64.8%, with some months falling well below that level. The route struggled largely because Orlando is not a Delta hub and because the market is heavily leisure-oriented, offering limited premium demand.
Competition also played a major role. Virgin Atlantic, Delta’s SkyTeam partner and transatlantic joint venture ally, already had a strong presence on the route and significantly outperformed Delta during the same period, filling close to 87% of its seats. Following Delta’s withdrawal, Virgin Atlantic increased capacity, offering up to 17 weekly flights between London Heathrow and Orlando during peak periods.
Regional performance data further highlights contrasts across Delta’s network. Central America emerged as the airline’s strongest international market, with 90% of seats filled, followed by Mexico at 87.1% and South America at 86.7%. Europe performed broadly in line with the network average at 85.8%.
By contrast, Asia averaged 82.9%, Africa 79.1%, and Oceania recorded the weakest performance at 77.5%. The latter includes Delta’s services to Australia and New Zealand, as well as its since-discontinued Tahiti route, which posted particularly low load factors. The Oceania figures come amid rapid capacity growth across the US–Australia and New Zealand markets, including Delta’s recent launch of flights to Melbourne, which has intensified competition.
The findings, as reported by Simple Flying, underscore that while Delta’s international network remains largely resilient, route profitability and sustainability depend heavily on hub strength, market composition, and competitive dynamics. Even for a global carrier, not every international expansion delivers the expected returns.
