Delta Air Lines will end its nonstop service between New York (JFK) and Geneva (GVA) at the end of the IATA summer season in late October 2025. This follows the recent news that the New York–Brussels (BRU) route will end in January 2026 after 34 years and follows the elimination of New York–Munich (MUC) in 2024, marking the third transatlantic destination Delta has pulled from JFK in just over a year.
One factor is alliance strength. United leverages deep Star Alliance connections through its European partners in BRU, GVA, and MUC. Delta, by contrast, has fewer joint venture partners with strong onward feed in these markets, limiting its appeal. The sheer competitiveness of JFK also plays a role: with multiple carriers on most major routes, Delta often cannot command the pricing power it enjoys in fortress hubs like Atlanta (ATL) or Salt Lake City (SLC).
Still, it is telling that New York remains such a difficult market for Delta. The airline thrives in Atlanta, Boston (BOS), Detroit (DTW), Minneapolis (MSP), and elsewhere, but at JFK it continues to retreat, at least in terms of longhaul routes. Even for one of the most disciplined carriers in the world, New York is proving to be an unforgiving battleground. Faced with competition on these routes, people were not choosing Delta.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
