Delta Air Lines sees an opening at LAX, but Los Angeles is not a market that airlines “win” so much as one they survive. The opportunity is real, and the gate constraints facing competitors may give Delta a rare window to grow.
American Airlines has pulled back. JetBlue is much smaller than it once hoped to be in Southern California. Southwest remains large, but it is not really competing for the same premium customer Delta wants and its strength is at airports beyond LAX (Burbank-Hollywood, Long Beach, Ontario, and Orange County). Alaska seems more focused on San Diego and the broader West Coast than trying to win LAX outright.
That leaves United as Delta’s most serious premium competitor in Los Angeles.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
