Delta Tests Demand For Unserved Mediterranean Islands

Delta Air Lines is taking a more unusual approach to network planning, asking customers and employees to vote on its next European leisure destination as it weighs whether to launch nonstop service from the U.S. to Ibiza, Malta or Sardinia in summer 2026.

The campaign, dubbed Route Race, is Delta’s first crowdsourced network decision and comes at a time when the airline is operating its largest-ever transatlantic schedule. Voting runs Aug. 25–29 for SkyMiles Members through the Delta app, with results expected about a month later.

Delta has not disclosed which U.S. gateway would connect with Ibiza Airport in Spain, Malta International Airport or Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport in Italy.

The latest OAG Schedules Analyser data shows that the SkyTeam alliance member operates 77 routes to Europe from the U.S. at present, serving 27 destinations across 15 countries. It currently offers more than 342,000 weekly two-way U.S.–Europe seats, giving it a 14.9% capacity share—behind United Airlines at 15% but ahead of American Airlines at 11.3%. British Airways and Lufthansa follow with 8.1% and 6.4%, respectively.

Italy is Delta’s fastest-growing European market. Between summer 2024 and summer 2025, Delta has added more than 180,000 two-way seats, a 15% year-on-year rise. Delta now operates 13 U.S.–Italy routes, with a 28.1% share of the overall U.S.–Italy market, ahead of United at 23% and American at 20.6%.

New routes this year include Atlanta–Naples, Boston–Milan Malpensa, New York JFK–Catania and Minneapolis–Rome Fiumicino. Seattle–Rome will also launch in 2026, competing with Alaska Airlines’ planned entry on the same city pair.

Spain has also seen double-digit growth, with Delta’s capacity up 14% year-on-year. The carrier entered Boston–Barcelona this summer and plans to open Seattle–Barcelona for 2026. It currently serves only Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, where it holds a 13.8% share of the U.S.–Spain market. Iberia dominates with 34.6%, followed by American at 27.7% and United at 16.8%.

A potential Ibiza launch would mark Delta’s first move into Spain’s secondary leisure markets, following United Airlines’ expansion from Newark to Málaga, Palma de Mallorca and Bilbao.

The Route Race campaign therefore sees Delta gauge demand for three Mediterranean islands that currently lack nonstop U.S. service. Neither Sardinia nor Ibiza has ever had scheduled flights to the U.S., according to U.S. Transportation Department data, while the only recent U.S.–Malta link was a short-lived Lufthansa operation to Newark in 2021 in partnership with Viking Cruises.

Delta plans to announce the winning destination in late September, with service set to begin in summer 2026.