Delta Drops Seasonal Tahiti Flights From Los Angeles, Shifting Focus To Other Long-Haul Routes – Travel And Tour World

Saturday, March 15, 2025
LOS ANGELES – Delta Air Lines (DL) has announced the discontinuation of its Los Angeles (LAX) to Papeete (PPT), French Polynesia service, with the final flight scheduled for June 7, 2025. The airline has removed all inventory for flights beyond this date, effectively eliminating the route that was originally set to resume on October 7, 2025, according to reports from JonNYC.

Delta Pulls Back on Tahiti Service

Launched in December 2022, the seasonal route operated three times weekly using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. Flights followed a consistent schedule, with DL119 departing Los Angeles at 11:40 AM and arriving in Papeete at 6:40 PM, while the return flight, DL118, left Tahiti at 8:40 PM, reaching Los Angeles at 7:20 AM the following day. Covering a distance of 4,095 miles, the westbound journey typically took nine hours, with the eastbound return lasting approximately eight hours and 40 minutes.
Despite three consecutive seasonal operations, Delta has opted not to extend the service beyond mid-2025. Industry sources, including OMAAT, suggest that the decision is influenced by market dynamics and competitive pressures.

Delta’s Long-Haul Outlook from Los Angeles

With the termination of its Tahiti flights, Delta’s international network from Los Angeles will continue to include year-round operations to key destinations such as Paris (CDG), Sydney (SYD), and Tokyo (HND). Seasonal routes to Auckland (AKL) and Brisbane (BNE) will also remain part of its transpacific offerings.

Looking ahead, Delta is expanding its global footprint with two new routes: a Shanghai (PVG) service beginning in June 2025 and flights to Melbourne (MEL) starting in December 2025. These additions reflect Delta’s evolving strategy in international markets.

Competitive Landscape in the Tahiti Market

Even with Delta’s withdrawal, competition for flights to Tahiti remains strong. Air France (AF), a SkyTeam alliance partner, continues to operate between Los Angeles and Tahiti as part of its broader Paris route network, ensuring that Delta customers can still access the destination through codeshare arrangements.
Meanwhile, Air Tahiti Nui (TN) maintains services to both Los Angeles and Seattle, working in partnership with Alaska Airlines and American Airlines despite not being part of a formal alliance. United Airlines (UA) offers year-round flights from San Francisco to Tahiti, leveraging its strong West Coast hub to maintain consistent passenger traffic. Additionally, French Bee, an ultra-low-cost carrier, links San Francisco to Tahiti via Paris.

Strategic Considerations Behind Delta’s Decision

Delta’s retreat from the LAX–PPT route underscores the challenges it faces on the West Coast, where it lacks a dominant hub presence. Unlike United’s stronghold in San Francisco, which provides ample feeder traffic for its Tahiti service, Delta does not enjoy the same level of network connectivity in Los Angeles, making it harder to sustain niche long-haul routes.
Moreover, redundancy with Air France’s existing service played a key role in the decision. With Air France offering seamless connections from Paris and a high-quality passenger experience on the route, Delta’s standalone service struggled to add distinct value. By relying on its SkyTeam alliance partnership, Delta can still provide connectivity to French Polynesia without direct operations, minimizing the overall impact of the cancellation.

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