ATLANTA- Delta Air Lines (DL) is set to discontinue its transatlantic flight service between London Heathrow (LHR) and Orlando (MCO) after a short operational period.
This service, which began in October 2024, was operated using Airbus A330neo aircraft four times weekly, in partnership with Virgin Atlantic on the same route, as reported by Ishrion Aviation.
The cancellation has been confirmed through Delta’s updated winter schedule, where flights from LHR to MCO have been removed from the reservation systems.
The LHR-MCO service initially utilized flight slots that were reallocated from Delta’s Seattle (SEA) to London route, which was reduced from daily to three times a week last winter.
With the termination of the Orlando route, Delta seems to be reverting this decision, as the Seattle-to-London connection is expected to return to daily service in the upcoming winter season.
This indicates that the airline is reallocating its valuable Heathrow slots back to their original deployment in the Pacific Northwest.
Virgin Exiting Seattle Market
Virgin Atlantic (VS) appears to be stepping back from the Seattle (SEA) market as Delta Air Lines gears up to introduce a second daily flight between London Heathrow (LHR) and Seattle starting October 25. This development marks a substantial shift in the partnership’s transatlantic strategy in the Pacific Northwest.
The addition of a second daily Seattle flight by Delta likely replaces Virgin Atlantic’s existing service on this route. However, it’s unclear if this schedule adjustment is just for the Winter 2025/26 season or if it will extend into Summer 2026.
This restructuring of the route may provide insight into Delta’s recent cancellation of its LHR-MCO (Orlando) service. The reallocation of valuable Heathrow slots suggests a more extensive network optimization between the partnering airlines.
Virgin Atlantic is set to maintain its 10-weekly service to Orlando for the upcoming winter season, but it has not increased frequency to make up for Delta’s withdrawal from the route.
The apparent reduction in combined capacity towards Orlando might reflect a softening demand for travel to the U.S.
Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic’s potential exit from Seattle continues the carrier’s trend of market adjustments, including discussions about entering the Vancouver market instead of Toronto.
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Bhavya Velani is the Founder of Aviation A2Z. He initiated Aviation A2Z as a YouTube channel, creating unique and engaging content for aviation professionals. His passion lies in writing aviation blogs and developing immersive content. Founded in 2018, Aviation A2Z has rapidly grown, boasting 1 million monthly visitors. Bhavya also writes for notable outlets such as Airways Magazine, AIRLIVE, AeroXplorer, and Travel Radar, among others.
Based on an article from aviationa2z.com: https://aviationa2z.com/index.php/2025/04/06/delta-cutting-this-transatlantic-route/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=delta-cutting-this-transatlantic-route
