Delta Air Lines is continuing to invest in its hub at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with the launch of a new nonstop service to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) starting in 2026. Despite the competitive nature of this route, it comes as no surprise.
Delta’s New LAX–Chicago Route: A Strategic Move Into A Competitive Market
The new route, set to begin June 7, 2026, will offer an additional travel option for those looking to connect between these two major U.S. cities. Currently, Delta customers must connect in a Delta hub to travel between Chicago and Los Angeles.
Delta’s new LAX to ORD service will operate three times daily using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Each flight will offer a range of seating options, including Delta First, Comfort+, and Main Cabin, catering to both business and leisure travelers. The timing and frequency of the flights are designed to maximize convenience for travelers, with multiple daily departures that offer flexible scheduling for quick trips between Los Angeles and Chicago.
As Delta Grows LAX Hub, This Route Makes Sense
The timing of the new route announcement (11 months in advance) is a bit strange, but the route itself is not.
So, why would Delta introduce another service on a route already dominated by American Airlines and United Airlines? Why would Delta introduce service on a route in which fares are already in check due to competition from Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines? To me, the answer is simple.
Los Angeles is a key gateway for Delta, offering significant connectivity to both domestic and international destinations. Meanwhile, Chicago, one of the largest U.S. markets, may not be a hub for Delta, but it is a critical hub for business, finance, and tourism.
By adding this nonstop route, Delta can further solidify its position as a key player on this high-demand corridor and more importantly, at LAX. While American and United already dominate the route, Delta’s entry may not hurt United and American, but it will pull some business away and be a great value-add to loyal Delta or SkyTeam flyers in both cities. The 30+ daily nonstops between Chicago and Los Angeles (including to Chicago Midway on Southwest Airlines) show that demand is already present. Delta is not only enhancing its network but also positioning itself as a stronger competitor in the space, capitalizing on the high demand for nonstop service between these two bustling cities.
That’s hardly even unique: American Airlines operates daily flights between Los Angeles and Atlanta and United operates flights from San Francisco to Detroit…it’s just part of operating a hub where the spoke happens to be a hub for a competitor.
CONCLUSION
Delta’s new LAX–ORD service is a strategic move to reinforce its network presence at LAX and create new opportunities in the highly competitive Los Angeles-Chicago market. With increased frequency, better connections, and Delta’s strong brand loyalty, this route is poised to be an attractive option for both frequent business travelers and leisure travelers. The pie is large enough and I expect it will perform well.
image: Delta Air Lines
Delta also invested into a huge Sky Club at ORD. Much bigger and nicer than you’d expect. Like DFW and DEN, Delta has a surprising number of flights at ORD considering it’s a fortress hub for another airline.
Is it really that surprising? Both UA and AA also offer many flights their own hubs from DL’s hubs…
AF/AM/KL/KE probably benefit the most from Delta’s Skyclub at ORD, since they don’t need to open their own lounge there. And it’s definitely nicer than the old AF longe that used to operate in T5.
DL is likely adding both LAX-HKG and LAX-ORD because corporate clients are asking for both.
The point of a competitive industry is not to avoid markets where there are already competitors but to make sure what you add has the greatest potential for success.
DL has clearly put a circle around LAX and wants to call LAX DL’s city.
For years, many crowed that UA was the largest international carrier at LAX and that the 4 share point difference between DL and UA at LAX was not meaningful – even though DL carries about 25% more passengers than AA or UA does.
With HKG, DL will serve 3 Asia markets just as UA does – and DL has far more growth potential with ICN and SIN than UA does – while DL and UA each serve one city in Europe nonstop on their own metal and DL serves more cities in the S. Pacific on its own metal, even if some are seasonal.
DL is already the largest carrier at NYC and LAX and is chipping away at Chicago.
The combination of all of the new routes DL has announced or says are coming significantly limits the structural advantages UA’s network has had.
and adding LAX-ORD puts pressure on AA which is being pressured by UA in Chicago as a whole.
add in the ULCCs which are in the market and which provide plenty of low fares to match and DL will not be the first carrier to blink.
There are a handful of markets in the country where all of the big 3 serve – and all of the big 4 if you include secondary airports and WN and LAX-ORD is being added to a pretty small list of markets which are highly competitive and served by all of the big 4.
We’d all love to see some data on DL’s incredible growth in the Chicago market. Verifiable, of coursel.
LAWA won’t let any airline “dominate” at LAX. You will never see LAX become a Delta “fortress hub.” Delta expanded T3 at LAX but, United is in talks to build a new terminal for themselves.
nowhere did I say that DL will ever have the hub dominance at LAX that it enjoys at ATL, DTW, MSP or SLC – or even JFK or LGA.
and LAWA isn’t stopping anyone from growing.
but DL did specifically move terminals to copy the AA setup next to the TBIT and gain access to some of those gates on top of renovating T2 and 3.
DL does have as good of a setup as any airline can have in LAX.
AA fans think that AA will gain even more gates and strike back – and yet AA’s problem at LAX wasn’t a lack of gates but an inability to win over the high value customers that DL and UA have.
The difference is that DL just simply has a larger presence than either AA or UA and is growing into key markets that it doesn’t serve both domestically and internationally. No other airline is doing at LAX what DL is doing. It’s just that simple.
Lets hope the LAX-HKG flight lasts longer than the flight to LHR did.
Actually by the end of the yar UA will be flying out of LAX to
BKK
PEK
SGN
HKG
HND & NRT
So a bit more than 3 Asian markets.
@Aaron … However , PEK , HKG , and SGN are infected with commie insanity .
Ask Jimmy Lai in HKG .
SGN is a one-stop flight no different from any connection.
and NRT and HND serve the same metro area; NRT is just for connections while the majority of local Tokyo revenue and traffic go to HND whether on DL or UA or AA or JL or NH
and DL still serves more cities in the S. Pacific plus has a larger domestic presence.
DL clearly intends to be the largest carrier at LAX in both int’l and domestic markets and is finally making it clear that DL has no intentions of ceding anything to UA – whether in NYC or LAX.
“SGN is a one-stop flight no different from any connection”
So no different than DL’s flight to HKG…
“NRT and HND serve the same metro“
Hence why I put them together…and still means UA serves more destinations im Asia than DL, despite what you said earlier.
But nice try in deflecting/diverting the conversation instead of just admitting you were wrong.
Also, does DL serve more destinations on a year round basis or is it just seasonally?
DL’s HKG flight is non-stop. Both SGN and BKK on UA stop in HKG, that’s not non-stop.
And United’s flight to HKG is also non-stop, so…?
Thanks for another useless and pointless comment whoch added nothing to the discussion.
That uselss comment was for Alert’s commie comment…
I believe delta is about to lose 3 gates at ORD. I wonder if this will cause a reduction to any of the other destinations they serve from there.
,..which means precisely nothing in a terminal that is nearly entirely common use gates. WN and DL have the only preferential use gates and DL doesn’t need 10 gates to operate out of but at times might park aircraft at other gates.
The whole gate fight at ORD is between AA and UA with no impact to anyone else
You’re right. They don’t need 10, that’s why they are losing 3. The math would say they need 7
Im not 100% certain, but i believe going forward those common use gates in T5 are going to be allocated for international flights only, so it does matter if delta cant just use them if they need them.. Southwest is getting 3 of deltas gates. The domestic common use gates are going to be in T3. Since WN is slashing their schedule at ORD, you’ll probably see spirit over in T5 at the end of next year.
You can bet that if delta doesnt use those remaining gates fully, UA will be pushing someone else into T5 so they can get more T3 gates
there is no requirement that common use gates in T5 are only for international.
If DL is limited in its ability to grow at ORD, let us know.
btw, WN is weaker at ORD and at risk of losing their gates – which are right in the middle of DL’s gates – than DL is.
DL didn’t need 10 gates when they moved to T5 but undoubtedly got that many because they could ask for them. The city has to be fair to every airline but T5 is a separate and independent operation from the rest of ORD and it just doesn’t matter in practice whether DL or WN’s gates are preferential or common use.
Some other carriers are being moved around at ORD but the real impact of the ORD gate wars is between AA and UA.
Its not about being fair, its use it or lose it. The war is between UA and AA because AA has the most gates to lose, but UA will take from whoever is in their way. UA is also taking gates from Jet Blue and Alaska.
AA is ramping up their Ohare flying so look for them to gain gates back next year. WN will definitely lose their gates and go back to common use, but Delta has the next most to lose, and T5 is definitely not separate… T3 castoffs could certainly end up there.
I am rooting for delta somewhat at ohare though. More options are good, and I like their lounge
Working the industry during the ‘70’s through the ‘90’s at ORD many carriers used feeds to get to East and West Coast Gates. It was more lucrative to keep their pax online than have to send them on someone else. PAA had a single ORDJFK flight daily which connected to their whole TransAtlantic Schedule. It was perfect. TWA had similar arrangements though some was siphoned through STL which grew more as an International Hub and was less crowded . For DL, LAX is perfect from ORD as it positions itself for Asia expansion and withdraws mostly from the Hawaiian to Japan Traffic perhaps just for a single Tokyo flight. DL running to HKG, SEL, SIN, BKK, MNL, NRT, SYD, MEL, PER, KUL, and perhaps some China Markets would be in an envious position to compete against. QF, CX, SQ, would all have to step up to the plate to really command a competitive product and schedule.
Deltas move is aimed at the vacuum created when American and Alaska “harmonized” the legacy Virgin America flights out of existance.
Smart move.
I’ve flown UA on ORD-ATL more than once. It was an RJ at one point, but they’ve since up gauged to mainline. Why do this? Because if you’re a UA FF, you don’t want to fly DL on your business trip to ATL if you can avoid it. It’s really that simple, and DL and thinking that way for growing their elite FF base in the LA Basin.
It’s hard to say you have a hub in the second largest metro in the US with a straight face when you don’t connect it to the third largest metro in the US. My only question is, “what took you so long, Delta?”
Exactly why this has been my biggest pet peeve for the longest time – lack of Delta flying this route.
It’s one thing if Delta has no hub on both sides but you can’t claim to have a hub at LAX and not fly to Chicago.
Billy Bob,
yes,
UA will take gates from anyone but in practicality, UA is not using gates it obtains from DL or WN in terminal 5. If they wanted to use terminal 5 gates, they could do it now.
Parker,
there are plenty of combinations of metro area and airline combinations that are not filled out by the big 3 or even the big 4.
and to your point about the largest metro areas, it is noteworthy how much larger DL is in both NYC and LAX than AA or UA. It isn’t just about connecting the largest metros but also how far down the list of metros each airline goes.
In reality, LA-Chicago was one of the few remaining large metro combinations left but, for example, it is more notable that AA serves ATL-LAX and LAX-JFK but UA does not.
Airlines gain network advantage by their size over other airlines. DL just gained a little more nationwide and worldwide advantage over UA relative to the markets where corporate traffic flies.
Thank you. OMAAT seemed puzzled by this flight that was so obviously a feeder.
Funny you mention LAX-ATL. I’m on that flight occasionally and it’s very elite-heavy. Tough upgrade. Interestingly, PHX-ATL which I think is similar is an automatic upgrade.
Finally! Been saying Delta needs this route for years.
But the -800? Not my choice for a four hour flight.
Delta is nearing the end of interior mods on the 738 fleet so it will have as good of an interior as any other DL narrowbody.
It also has a higher percentage of comfort plus seats than other aircraft.
While I thought they would use the A220 since DL has used that aircraft in competitive markets, the 738’s larger size is more in line w/ the size of the LAX-ORD market.
A strategic accommodation to its SkyMiles members in Chicago & LA which is a very large following.
Also, accommodates those irritated with UA & AA and looking for an alternative.
More cropduster scum infesting my city. As long as they’re in Terminal 5 and their stink can’t migrate to the terminals where real airlines are, I can tolerate it.