A couple of weeks ago, Delta Air Lines announced its transatlantic expansion for 2025, which included seven new routes to Europe. A couple of days ago, the airline revealed one additional route, which seems like an obvious enough addition. I wanted to provide an update, as this route is now on sale, so we know what the schedule will look like.
Delta adds route to Copenhagen, Denmark
As of May 22, 2025, Delta plans to add flights between Minneapolis (MSP) and Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH). The 4,281-mile flight will operate 3x weekly with the following schedule:
DL116 Minneapolis to Copenhagen departing 6:25PM arriving 10:05AM (+1 day)
DL117 Copenhagen to Minneapolis departing 12:25PM arriving 3:10PM
The eastbound flight is blocked at 8hr40min and will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and the westbound flight is blocked at 9hr45min and will operate on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Delta intends to use an Airbus A330-300 for the route, featuring Delta One (business class), Delta Premium Select (premium economy), Delta Comfort+ (extra legroom economy), and Main Cabin (economy).
While it’s not stated one way or another, presumably this is a seasonal service, so we’re probably not talking about that many total frequencies.
This new service out of Minneapolis complements Delta’s existing seasonal flight to the city out of New York (JFK). Delta has a decent transatlantic network out of Minneapolis, though it’s not to the same level as what you’ll find out of Atlanta (ATL), Detroit (DTW), or New York (JFK).
This makes sense, given the SAS codeshare
This route addition from Delta seems logical enough. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) recently joined the SkyTeam alliance, after it emerged from bankruptcy, and Air France-KLM took a stake in the airline. Beyond that, Delta and SAS have launched a codeshare agreement, offering increased connectivity between the two airlines. Clearly this route is intended to serve those connecting beyond Copenhagen as well, given that it’s SAS’ global hub.
SAS is shifting its US strategy a bit to better align with its newly developed partnerships. We’ve already seen SAS add flights to Atlanta and announce flights to Seattle, so I imagine we’ll increasingly see Delta service to Copenhagen, and SAS service to Delta hubs. I’m sure either Delta or SAS will launch Detroit flights soon as well.
When Delta recently announced its summer expansion for 2025, I was surprised to find that there were no additions to Copenhagen. So it makes sense to see this added now, though I’m curious why it wasn’t added in the first place.
Delta will operate its biggest transatlantic schedule ever in 2025. However, it’s hard to get too excited about the carrier’s 2025 expansion. There’s nothing really off the beaten track, and seven of the eight new routes are just 3-4x weekly. For that matter, all the routes are operated by either 767s or “classic” A330s, which hardly have Delta’s best product.
It certainly pales in comparison to United’s expansion for 2025, which is remarkable for its unique destinations, rather than number of frequencies or aircraft. We’ve never seen such a creative expansion from a US airline.
Bottom line
As of May 2025, Delta will add a (likely seasonal) 3x weekly flight between Minneapolis and Copenhagen, using an Airbus A330. This is clearly motivated by SAS joining the SkyTeam alliance, and adding a codeshare agreement with Delta. This isn’t that much to get excited about, though it seems like a logical and safe addition.
What do you make of Delta adding Copenhagen flights?
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