Brisbane has cemented its position as Australia’s biggest growing hub to the US as Delta Airlines launched a new direct flight from Los Angeles this morning.
Brisbane is leading the charge for airline seat capacity into the US – significantly above its 2019 offering – with January 2025 set to deliver circa 125 per cent of pre-pandemic availability compared to Sydney’s 83 per cent, Flight Centre Corporate revealed.
COO Melissa Elf said new services to Brisbane from Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco mean the Sunshine State is leading the charge.
“The growth rate in capacity between Brisbane and North America tells us that the need for connectivity between our two nations is at an all-time high,” she said.
“This will be the fourth North American aviation giant to touchdown at Brisbane Airport, and for Delta, this will mark its most extensive schedule to the South Pacific in its history.
“With 31 flights to North America every week, the competition has never been so fierce, and it couldn’t be a clearer indicator of the value in connectivity for both Australians and our US counterparts.”
Brisbane Airport CEO Gert Jan De Graaf said he is over the moon that Delta has arrived.
“The arrival of one of the world’s largest carriers speaks volumes about this city’s growing prominence as a global destination.”
Flight Centre Travel Group’s corporate brands, which include FCM Travel, Corporate Traveller, and Stage & Screen, saw an uptick in bookings to the US in the most recent quarter.
Australian corporates made 18 per cent more US trips between July – September 2024, than they did during the same quarter in the year previous.
The charge once again led by Brisbane-based workers, who saw a 21 per cent increase in travel over the same period.
The growing capacity into Australia comes as the US recently introduced new requirements for airlines, which would see passengers automatically refunded for significant delays or cancellations.
As of 30 October 2024, passengers travelling in the US would be refunded if their international flight was delayed be more than six hours, or if their domestic flight was delayed by more than three hours.
In August this year it was also announced that Australians will be eligible for easier passage through American airports with participation in the US Global Entry program.
Beginning In January 2025, it will allow pre-approved, low-risk travellers from Australia to use automated kiosks, speeding up processing time upon arrive in the US.
