Delta Air Lines is set to connect 7 more cities with Orlando — and its theme parks
Delta Air Lines is adding a slew of new routes, none of which touch its hubs.
A spokesperson for the Atlanta-based carrier told TPG that the carrier will add service on eight point-to-point routes. The expansion also includes a host of new flights to Orlando International Airport (MCO), one of the nation's top domestic vacation destinations.
You'll find the full list of new routes below. They'll be available to book through all Delta channels (including SkyMiles redemptions) beginning on Saturday:
- Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)
- John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) to MCO
- Grand Rapids' Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR) to MCO
- Indianapolis International Airport (IND) to MCO
- Kansas City International Airport (MCI) to MCO
- Louisville International Airport (SDF) to MCO
- Nashville International Airport (BNA) to MCO
- Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) to MCO
The new routes begin Dec. 20, 2025, and will operate seasonally on Saturdays through April 11, 2026. The airline will deploy regional jets on all of the new services, but the carrier didn't share which Delta Connection partner or what aircraft type will actually operate each route.
Read more: Here's how to plan an epic trip to Universal Orlando Resort this year
'Point-to-point' expansion
Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of these new routes is that none of them touch one of Delta's domestic hubs. As a hub-and-spoke airline, Delta usually would prefer to funnel traffic from a city like Nashville to Atlanta, and then from Atlanta to Orlando.
This setup helps airlines get the most usage out of their aircraft, and it allows travelers to book a seemingly endless number of one-stop itineraries to places around the world.
But this Delta expansion, which is largely focused on Orlando, takes out all the stops and will bring travelers closer to the theme parks.
Saturday-only service is typically harder for an airline to market and fill seats, especially since it means that travelers booking with Delta will need to spend a week in Orlando, fly home with a connection or fly home on a different carrier entirely.
It'll be interesting to see how these new flights perform and whether they might return for another season.
Of the new routes, just one is from a focus city: Austin (to Palm Springs). Cirium schedules show that Delta will be the only airline operating this route after American pulled out of the market in May 2024.
The seven new Orlando routes are seemingly poised to attract customers away from Spirit and Southwest, both of which already fly in Delta's new Orlando markets. (The only route that Spirit doesn't fly is Grand Rapids to Orlando.)
Both Spirit and Southwest are undergoing major commercial transformations, so it's possible that Delta senses some weakness at these carriers and hopes to capitalize on that as much as it can.
Use your Hilton Honors points near Disney: Reviewing the Conrad Orlando, with its 8-acre blue lagoon
Special college football-focused flights
Elsewhere across its network, Delta will add a slew of special one-off flights for college football fans. The airline announced on Friday that it plans to add 40 additional flights for key matchups, such as LSU at Clemson, Texas at Ohio State and several Notre Dame games.
Most of these additional flights will depart on Fridays and return on Sundays, making it easy to choose Delta for a quick out-and-back gameday weekend.
In total, Delta plans to add 8,000 additional seats across its network for the college football season.
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Cons
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- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
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- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
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- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month