Delta is adding the first-ever nonstop U.S.-Manila flight in March 2027, ending Philippine Airlines’ lock on the route and setting up a new transpacific showdown at LAX.
Delta Air Lines announced Friday it will launch the first-ever nonstop flight between the United States and the Philippines, connecting Los Angeles and Manila starting March 28, 2027, aboard an Airbus A350-900, with the return flight’s inaugural departure from Manila set for March 30.
The new service, linking Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in Manila, makes Delta the only U.S. carrier to fly the route nonstop. Philippine Airlines has long held a monopoly on nonstop Los Angeles-Manila flights, while United Airlines flies nonstop between San Francisco and Manila.
Delta will operate the route three times a week when it begins, then shift to daily service starting June 7, 2027, the airline said.
Flight DL181 will depart LAX at 11:50 p.m. and land in Manila at 5:30 a.m. two days later, a flight of 14 hours and 40 minutes. The return, Flight DL180, will depart Manila at 7:40 a.m. and arrive in Los Angeles at 6:05 a.m., after 13 hours and 25 minutes in the air.
The A350-900 will fly with four cabins: Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort and Delta Main. Delta One will offer up to 40 lie-flat seats with sliding doors, elevated dining and what the airline describes as refined service. Delta Premium Select will have up to 40 seats arranged 2-4-2, with a wider seat and deeper recline. Delta Comfort and Delta Main will use a 3-3-3 layout, with Comfort offering a higher seat pitch. All passengers will have access to free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members and seatback entertainment.
Doug Webster, Los Angeles World Airports’ chief operations and maintenance officer, said in a statement Friday: “As a primary gateway to the Pacific, LAX is proud to welcome Delta’s new nonstop service to Manila. This daily service gives our guests another direct link to family and culture in the Philippines, and reflects the strength of our partnership with Delta in delivering world-class service to one of Southern California’s most deeply connected international markets.”
Jeff Arinder, Delta’s vice president of network planning, said in a statement announcing the route: “Customers traveling through Los Angeles continue to benefit from Delta’s investments in LAX, including an expanding Asia-Pacific network and the opening of our second Delta One Lounge. The addition of Manila builds on the world-class travel experience our customers have come to expect from Delta while strengthening our position as LAX’s leading global carrier and premier West Coast hub.”
Jeff Moomaw, Delta’s vice president for Asia Pacific, said: “We look forward to welcoming customers in the Philippines onboard for Delta’s nonstop service to the US.” He added: “As we continue growing across the Asia Pacific region, Manila represents an exciting opportunity to introduce more travelers to Delta’s premium experience while expanding access to our global network.”
The Manila route adds to a rapid buildup at LAX, where Delta says it is the airport’s leading airline, with more than 160 peak-day departures to more than 50 destinations. Delta opened the first phase of its second Delta One Lounge at the airport — its fifth Delta One Lounge systemwide — in early July, ahead of the Manila announcement. The lounge seats 75 guests, features elevated dining and will give Delta One passengers flying to Manila an exclusive curbside check-in and security checkpoint. Delta plans four lounge spaces at LAX by 2028, offering more than 1,000 seats across more than 60,000 square feet, the airline said.
The route also builds on Delta’s transpacific joint venture with Korean Air, part of the SkyTeam alliance. Delta says the partnership connects travelers to more than 300 destinations worldwide, including 60 in Asia. Korean Air’s website describes the venture, launched May 1, 2018, differently, saying it connects roughly 80 destinations in Asia and 290 in the Americas. Korean Air operates multiple daily flights between Manila and its Incheon hub in Seoul, and Delta says the new Los Angeles-Manila route adds “flexibility” for travelers connecting through Seoul.
Joe Esposito, Delta’s chief commercial officer, told analysts on the airline’s July 10 earnings call that transpacific service is among Delta’s biggest growth opportunities in the years ahead. “A lot of it is looking at our customers who have a high demand to go to those destinations that we don’t fly to,” Esposito said, pointing to recently launched routes as models: “Like Hong Kong — that we just started — or Melbourne, or other places in South Pacific and Southeast Asia.”
Manila is one of Southeast Asia’s most important commercial and cultural centers and one of Asia’s fastest-growing markets, offering diverse landscapes, rural communities and island destinations.
Delta previously served Manila with one-stop flights routed through Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, and before that through Tokyo’s Narita International Airport. Those flights ended during the COVID-19 pandemic and did not return; Delta suspended its Manila operations in 2021. The new route will be Delta’s first-ever nonstop service between the U.S. mainland and the Philippines.
In the past year, Delta has launched new LAX service to Chicago, Melbourne and Hong Kong, reinstated flights to Shanghai and unveiled plans to connect Vancouver and Newark. It is also preparing its largest-ever winter schedule to Florida. Delta’s Melbourne route launched in December 2025, and its Hong Kong route launched in June 2026.
Philippine Airlines is separately finalizing plans to join the oneworld alliance as its 16th member after signing a memorandum of understanding on June 6, 2026, at the International Air Transport Association’s 82nd Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro. That integration is expected in 2027, though no specific date has been announced. The move would let oneworld partners such as American Airlines offer expanded connectivity to and from Los Angeles through Philippine Airlines.
United Airlines was the only U.S. carrier serving the Philippines before Delta’s announcement, flying nonstop between San Francisco and Manila with a Boeing 777-300ER. United added a second daily San Francisco-Manila flight on Oct. 25, 2025.
Delta and Philippine Airlines have also clashed over airport access in Manila. An AeroTime report said Delta had asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to delay approval of Philippine Airlines’ planned Manila-to-Chicago O’Hare route until the Philippine government guaranteed commercially viable airport slots for Delta’s own planned Manila service, citing congestion at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Delta said it was not seeking to block Philippine Airlines’ Chicago route outright. Philippine Airlines’ Manila-Chicago service is set to launch Nov. 9, 2026, ahead of Delta’s Manila flights.
Neither Philippine Airlines nor United Airlines had issued a public statement responding to Delta’s announcement as of Saturday.
Key Takeaways
- Delta will launch the first-ever nonstop U.S.-Philippines flights on March 28, 2027, connecting Los Angeles and Manila aboard an Airbus A350-900.
- Service begins three times weekly and moves to daily flights on June 7, 2027.
- Delta becomes the only U.S. carrier flying LAX-Manila nonstop, ending Philippine Airlines’ exclusivity on that route and challenging United’s San Francisco-Manila service.
- Delta is expanding at LAX with a new Delta One Lounge and other recent Asia-Pacific routes, including Hong Kong and Melbourne.
- Philippine Airlines is separately set to join the oneworld alliance in 2027.