For Santa Monica and Westside travelers, Delta Air Lines' latest expansion at Los Angeles International Airport will bring a new way to reach California's Central Coast while adding more choices across the country.
Delta will launch twice-daily nonstop service between LAX and Monterey Regional Airport on Dec. 19, 2026, timed for the holiday travel season. The route, operated by Delta Connection on an Embraer 175, will give Westside travelers direct access to Monterey, Carmel and the Pebble Beach area without the long drive north.
The Monterey service is one piece of a broader expansion that will make summer 2027 Delta's largest operation in LAX history. Delta and its partners plan to offer more than 200 daily departures at the summer peak, expanding access both for Angelenos traveling elsewhere and for visitors arriving in Southern California.
Stephanie Gordon, Delta's managing director of domestic network planning, said the carrier is adding approximately 10 daily domestic flights, increasing its own domestic schedule from roughly 170 to 180 departures. With its partner flights included, the overall operation will exceed 200 departures per day.
The expanded schedule will make Delta the only airline at LAX serving all 10 of the airport's highest-demand domestic destinations with multiple daily flights, Gordon said. "This allows for greater connectivity into California and gives Angelenos more opportunities to explore what the rest of the United States has to offer," she said.
Monterey was selected in part because it aligns with Delta's focus on premium travel, Gordon said. The new route will provide direct access to one of California's best-known leisure destinations and give Monterey passengers a connection through LAX to Delta's broader domestic and international network. Delta will also begin daily nonstop service from Salt Lake City to Monterey on Dec. 19.
For the Westside, the announcement creates a closer link between two of California's major coastal visitor destinations. Although Delta did not provide a Santa Monica-specific economic projection, additional passengers moving through LAX could create opportunities for local hotels, restaurants, cultural destinations and tourism businesses competing for visitors extending their stays beyond the airport.
"We're continuing to invest in more ways for customers to experience everything California has to offer," Amy Martin, Delta's vice president of network planning, said in announcing the routes. "With new service to Monterey from both Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, alongside our continued growth at LAX, we're creating more opportunities for customers to connect to the places they want to go while building on our long-term commitment to Los Angeles and the West."
Delta is also adding a new daily nonstop flight between LAX and Philadelphia beginning June 7, 2027. The airline will increase service to Boston to five daily flights, Raleigh-Durham to two, San Diego to five, Seattle to eight, Houston to three, Cincinnati to two and San Antonio to three.
The added flights will arrive as LAX continues a multibillion-dollar transformation intended to make reaching and moving through the airport easier. Delta has already expanded its gate footprint and premium facilities, and Gordon said the airline plans to add another Sky Club in Terminal 2 around 2027 as it continues building out its lounge offerings ahead of 2028.
Courtney Moore, chief revenue and experience officer at Los Angeles World Airports, said airline investment in connectivity reinforces LAX's role as the gateway to a city with global reach. "Los Angeles shapes, transforms and influences the world, and LAX is proud to be the gateway connecting travelers to our city," Moore said. "Our airline partners' investment in connectivity helps strengthen Los Angeles' position as a leading global destination."
The expansion also serves as an early step in Delta's preparations for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Delta is the official airline of LA28, but Gordon emphasized that the larger schedule is designed to serve Los Angeles beyond the Games by building lasting frequency and access. "This is a stepping stone along the path as we continue to grow the schedule leading up to the Olympics," Gordon said. "We want people across America to have access to the Olympic Games as Delta passengers."
Gordon said Delta observed stronger passenger loads between FIFA World Cup host cities and through connecting airports, offering an indication of how major events can influence travel. That experience is informing the airline's planning as Los Angeles moves closer to 2028.
For Santa Monica residents, however, the most immediate change comes this winter: a short flight replacing hours on the highway and providing a new gateway to the Central Coast. Tickets for the newly announced routes and added frequencies are on sale.