Delta continues LAX growth, plans four new routes

Delta Air Lines continues to bolster its base in Los Angeles, announcing plans for three new routes while seeking regulatory approval for a fourth.

The carrier says it plans to add nonstop service on domestic routes to Austin and Boise and an international route to San Salvador. Delta also has applied for the rights to begin daily service between Los Angeles and the Mexican city of Monterrey, Mexico.

Boise will be the first of the routes to launch, with service slated to begin on June 5. Delta regional affiliate Compass Airlines will fly one daily round-trip flight on route using two-class, 76-seat Embraer E-175 jets.

Austin flights will begin June 16. Delta plans to operate two daily round-trip flights on Boeing 717 jets. Delta says the addition of Austin will allow it to "connect Los Angeles' growing Silicon Beach tech and start-up community with all the major tech centers in the United States." In making that claim, Delta notes that it already flies from L.A. to tech-oriented destinations such as New York JFK, Oakland, Portland (Ore.), Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle. Nonstop Boston service begins in April.

Delta's service to the El Salvador capital of San Salvador will begin July 2, with the carrier flying a daily round-trip flight on Boeing 737 aircraft. The route still must be OK'd be regulators, though that's considered to be likely.

"With direct access to all of the key U.S. tech markets as well as additional Latin service through our gateway at LAX, we can continue to provide business and leisure customers with the best service options to meet their travel needs," Bob Cortelyou, Delta's senior vice president – Network Planning, says in a statement announcing the new routes. "Los Angeles is a key market for Delta as we continue growing our presence on the U.S. West Coast."

Delta spokesman Anthony Black tells Today in the Sky that the new routes are "additional flying" at LAX and do not come at the expense of other Delta routes or its existing frequencies at the airport.

Delta says it currently operates 130 flights to 43 destinations from LAX. By this summer, Delta says that will increase to more than 140 peak-day flights to LAX, a figure that includes the just-announced routes.

In addition to ramping up its presence at LAX, Delta also touted "significant enhancements" it has made there in recent years. Among those are a $229 million expansion and upgrade of Delta's Terminal 5 facility.

Delta says the project will double the size of the ticketing lobby and screening checkpoints while adding a lobby and checkpoint area that will be set aside exclusively for its Sky Priority fliers. The project is underway now and is targeted for completion in 2015.