It’s normal to see airlines add all kinds of summer seasonal routes to Europe. Often we see airlines make one big announcement, though in the case of Delta Air Lines, the Atlanta-based carrier seems to be taking more of a “drip” approach to revealing new service.
For the summer of 2026, Delta has already announced plans to launch flights from Boston (BOS) to Madrid (MAD) and Nice (NCE), flights from New York (JFK) to Malta (MLA) and Sardinia (OLB), and flights from Seattle (SEA) to Barcelona (BCN) and Rome (FCO). We can now add a seventh route to the mix.
In this post:
Delta will add first-ever flight to Porto, Portugal
As of May 21, 2026, Delta will launch a daily seasonal flight between New York and Porto (OPO). The schedule for the 3,322-mile flight hasn’t yet been revealed, but I suspect the flight will be loaded into the schedule over the weekend. Porto is of course set along the banks of the Douro Valley, and is known for its colorful waterfront and old-world charm.
This will be Delta’s first route to Porto, and second destination in Portugal, after Lisbon (LIS). Delta flies to Lisbon year-round out of New York, and seasonally out of Boston.
Delta will use its workhorse Boeing 767-300ERs for this route, featuring 216 seats, including 26 business class seats, 18 premium economy seats, and 172 economy class seats. Here’s how Paul Baldoni, Delta’s SVP of Network Planning, describes this:
“Delta’s new nonstop service from JFK to Porto is part of seven new European routes launching next summer, giving customers even more opportunities to experience Europe and enjoy our award-winning service and premium onboard experience. Whether discovering Portugal or traveling to our other new destinations such as Sardinia and Malta, these additions expand choice for our customers and reinforce JFK’s role as a leading global gateway.”
My take on Delta adding seasonal Porto flights
A summer seasonal flight to Portugal out of New York on a fairly low capacity plane seems like a safe enough route addition, and I’m sure it’ll do fine.
In terms of the competitive landscape, United currently flies seasonally to Porto out of Newark (EWR), using the Boeing 757. TAP Air Portugal flies year-round between Porto and Newark, and seasonally between Porto and Boston, using the Airbus A321neo. And American flies to El Paso (ELP)… does that count?
So yeah, Delta is following United’s lead here, and Star Alliance definitely has the advantage in terms of the quantity of service. However, it’s not like TAP Air Portugal and United have a terribly close partnership (TAP isn’t in the Star Alliance transatlantic joint venture), and it’s not like this is a business heavy route, or anything.
Of note is that this is a transatlantic market where Delta has a better hard product than United across cabins (which isn’t terribly common).
As we see Delta add all of these new seasonal routes of New York, keep in mind that some markets are being cut to make this possible. Out of New York, Delta has canceled some routes in business markets, including to Brussels (BRU), Geneva (GVA), etc.
Bottom line
In May 2026, Delta will launch daily, seasonal flights between New York and Porto using Boeing 767s. Currently, United is the only US airline to fly to Porto, and then you also have TAP Air Portugal flying between the United States and Porto.
Delta is adding some cool new European destinations next year, though it’s coming at the expense of service to airports like Brussels, Geneva, etc.
What do you make of Delta adding Porto flights?
Huge Porto fan here but this is waaaaaay too much aircraft for OPO and, I think, a bad sign for DL TBH.
TP and UA have the VFR market locked up. If you know the Portuguese communities in NJ, MA and PT they love to hate both airlines but are locked in. UA and TP have operated to Portugal continuously forever from the Tri state region and know the market super well.
Both...
Huge Porto fan here but this is waaaaaay too much aircraft for OPO and, I think, a bad sign for DL TBH.
TP and UA have the VFR market locked up. If you know the Portuguese communities in NJ, MA and PT they love to hate both airlines but are locked in. UA and TP have operated to Portugal continuously forever from the Tri state region and know the market super well.
Both UA and TP have larger equipment they *could* deploy anytime to OPO and LIS but choose not to.
I think this is gonna be a stretch. Shocked that they think this will outperform.
Hey Ben don’t knock El Paso, I’ve been on a driving trip & it’s an incredibly interesting city
Good for Delta for exploiting weak competition and running like a dog with its tail between its legs from major business and political centers like BRU GVA MUC STR TXL
TWA ran like that before, leaving Italian routes left.
feel free to tell us the profit margins for BRU; Brussels Airlines is the least profitable airline in the LH Group.
Feel free to let us know when another airline besides DL served STR; DL was the last legacy carrier operating between STR and the US.
DL still serves the same number of flights to BRU and MUC as it has; they just have the benefit of having a massive hub in ATL that competes...
feel free to tell us the profit margins for BRU; Brussels Airlines is the least profitable airline in the LH Group.
Feel free to let us know when another airline besides DL served STR; DL was the last legacy carrier operating between STR and the US.
DL still serves the same number of flights to BRU and MUC as it has; they just have the benefit of having a massive hub in ATL that competes exceptionally well for traffic from most cities outside of the NE? UA and AA would absolutely die to have a TATL hub as large and profitable as DL has in ATL.
and you do know that TXL is closed; DL flies to BER.
please do think before you pound the keyboard.
Can 767s land at Santorini or Mykonos airports? I imagine filling a daily service from New York next summer would be very easy.
Congrats to DL on the new route. Love Porto...so there with some regularity. Will not be on DL and their crap-a@@ 763s...at least not if I'm paying for the flight. Give me a somewhat modern plane with modern amenities and I'm all about it. Said differently, and to poke the @Tim Dunn bear, I'd fly a new 321XLR over a 763 from the bronze age any day.
first of all, Parker, thank you for your respectful comment. Others could learn from you.
second, let's get to the factual basis of your statements.
- let us know what percentage of passengers know the age of the aircraft they are flying, certainly at the time of booking. Aircraft age is somewhere around the 159th factor that influences booking preference for the average traveler.
- second, the XLR might be more modern...
first of all, Parker, thank you for your respectful comment. Others could learn from you.
second, let's get to the factual basis of your statements.
- let us know what percentage of passengers know the age of the aircraft they are flying, certainly at the time of booking. Aircraft age is somewhere around the 159th factor that influences booking preference for the average traveler.
- second, the XLR might be more modern but please tell us what percentage of operators that have TATL 321NEOs in service have direct aisle access in business class for every seat. I can think of two operators = B6 and IB. Fill in the list for us.
- third, any widebody will have a higher percentage of aisle seats than the 320 family. You all love to talk about how great business class is but narrowbody aircraft are much worse in terms of comfort for economy passengers - who make up the majority of travelers.
and fourth - someone below noted that UA is getting the XLR which will have direct aisle access but their 757s most certainly do not even though UA fans love to yelp about the consistency of their fleet. DL's 767s compete against UA 757s on many routes and will on this one. UA might upgrade to one of their standard 767s but that will mean taking a widebody from someplace else. UA clearly uses the 757 to extend their route system to places the 757 can fly which is why so much of their network to Iceland, Ireland, the UK and secondary destinations in western continental Europe is on 757s. The aged DL 767-300ER is simply a superior aircraft to UA's aged 757s in every possible way.
and fifth, it is notable that B6 is the only airline that uses 321NEOs with fewer seats than AA and UA propose = and B6 is not exactly the epitome of financial success. AA and UA somehow think that they will win by using 150ish seat A321NEOs to compete with widebodies including to destinations which other airlines serve with widebodies or compete with connections. As someone accurately noted on the GVA thread, there is a market for NYC and IAD to these destinations but many more passengers connect in Europe with widebodies across the Atlantic; the notion that AA and UA will command a fare premium on these flights is simply fiction. 150 seat 321NEO aircraft will be much higher CASM aircraft which means it will be pretty hard for AA and UA to make money on those flights compared to the competition.
so, go ahead and fly your XLR..you just won't find an airline flying NYC to OPO that offers direct aisle access for every seat in business class or 60% aisle seats in economy as you will find on a 767.
oh, and the 767 cruises faster and higher than the 321NEO.
Yeah, I don’t get it. DL's 763 is the worst J of any widebody 1-2-1 I know of. I might like a 1-1 narrowbody, but the 763 is superior to any 2-2 J. Plus PE is 2-2-2, alowing direct-aisle access to 2/3rds of that and 57% of Y. A near perfect Y experience for a couple in coach (relative to other a/c). Oh, and BTW, a couple might also like Y on the a330 (2-4-2), but have less a chance to get the group of 2 on the sides .
I bet UAL responds by upgauging to their 767 Hi-J
Lol, will we get 200+ comments on this move by Delta out of JFK like we got in the Geneva post?
Portugal continues to be a hot destination for US travelers, especially in the summer. Markets like Brussels and Genava are less so at this time. Makes sense for Delta to try this route. All the debate about JFK's hub profitability for Delta, SkyTeam versus Star Alliance, etc is all besides the point
we don't need to get 200 replies if the people that hold up CF for his position on letting me and others say what they want to say without feeling the need to reply would do the same. Clearly, there are a whole lot of them that don't have the self-control to recognize that someone else can have a different opinion.
and, Delta has consistently cut a few routes and added new ones - both...
we don't need to get 200 replies if the people that hold up CF for his position on letting me and others say what they want to say without feeling the need to reply would do the same. Clearly, there are a whole lot of them that don't have the self-control to recognize that someone else can have a different opinion.
and, Delta has consistently cut a few routes and added new ones - both happen this time of the year. Delta's leading profitability among US airlines - and globally if labor costs were normalized across all carriers - is because they maximize profits, not dots on the route map.
For 2026, DL will add at least 3 new dots while removing 2, one of which serves the same city where DL and its JV partner VS have dozens of flights at the other airport, LHR.
It is also worth noting that the DOT has sent warning letters to the EU about US carrier access to DUB, AMS and LIS. B6 undoubtedly has complained about not being able to get into those airports - as they should.
It is not a surprise that DL is growing its presence in markets where there is limited access which helps ensure profits.
and it is also noteworthy that DL is adding service to Ireland and Portugal using widebodies where other airlines including UA use narrowbodies. DL will gain proportionately more share of the market by using even a 767-300ER than UA can by using 757s. and, of course, EI heavily uses A321s to the US but has much more dense configurations and fewer premium seats.
those are simply facts but if those who don't have self-control and can't follow CF's example want to argue, then we just might hit 200 or even 400 comment replies.
OPO is more promising than OLB or MLA. Progress, but it's just a matter of time.
Thank you for writing. I do not belong to the Delta fan club but do want your opinions.
Porto is the best portuguese port of entry into Portugal. Immigration is not terrible. Both LIS amd OPO have mediocre lounges (LIS have shower).
I prefer to arrive at OPO or MAD or even BCN if the final destination is LIS
Can’t wait for this route to also be axed in the future, further solidifying Skyteam as the inferior alliance
inferior would be an alliance that is built on using narrowbodies, esp. old ones that lack direct aisle access to every seat in business class.
SkyTeam is the only alliance that doesn't use narrowbodies from Ireland or anyplace east from the US.
AF, DL, KL and VS operate only widebodies from Ireland, the UK and continental Europe to the US.
There goes Tim spreading wrong information! SAS - which is part of the inferior SkyLame alliance - has quite a few A321 narrowbodies crossing the Atlantic everyday. I'm sure Ed will be more than happy to collect 400k SkyPesos to let you book an award seat on one of those A321s!
Jeff,
did you see SK listed with the carriers I noted?
no, you didn't because they aren't a part of the SkyTeam JV; in contrast multiple airlines that are part of the oneworld and Star JVs do use narrowbodies.
feel free to tell us the number of SK narrowbody TATL flights and then do the same for EI, IB etc and then add B6 and UA in the US.
Yes, SK is...
Jeff,
did you see SK listed with the carriers I noted?
no, you didn't because they aren't a part of the SkyTeam JV; in contrast multiple airlines that are part of the oneworld and Star JVs do use narrowbodies.
feel free to tell us the number of SK narrowbody TATL flights and then do the same for EI, IB etc and then add B6 and UA in the US.
Yes, SK is in SkyTeam but the fractional percentage of SkyTeam capacity that is on narrowbodies pales in comparison to what is in other alliances and none of SkyTeam narrowbody capacity is part of the JV, unlike other alliances.
Max,
you could follow CF's example and simply let me and other people say what they want but you have proven you don't have the self-control or personal maturity to sit on the sidelines as Brett does, even if he disagrees with me.
AF, KL and VS don't have the DL scope agreement but they don't have narrowbodies either. they could add narrowbodies if they wanted to - but don't.
Narrowbody TATL operations are a key reason why UA trails DL in profit margin; there are very good reasons why UA makes just 3/4 of the profits that DAL makes despite flying a larger TATL network.
And AA and UA are unique even among 321NEO operators in thinking they can generate profits with a 150ish seat narrowbody; let me know what other airlines besides financial basket case B6 try to do that.
do your work, Max. Better yet demonstrate the self-control to just ignore other people or, better yet, just post your opinion or fact and quit being so preoccupied w/ me.
If you want to see less of my posts, practice the common sense to not attack me.
CF doesn't let that happen between ANY of his commenters and he runs one of the cleanest comment sections in aviation social media.
and he produces great fact-filled, data-backed articles.
"inferior would be an alliance that is built on using narrowbodies, esp. old ones that lack direct aisle access to every seat in business class."
To Jeff's point, yes. Skyteam does use narrow bodies (even excluding your random exclusion of Delta's own European JV definition including 757s to KEF with your "east of Ireland" lol...)
Separately, I've always known about Delta's ALPA Scope provision to match partner flying but, since it's been coming up on...
"inferior would be an alliance that is built on using narrowbodies, esp. old ones that lack direct aisle access to every seat in business class."
To Jeff's point, yes. Skyteam does use narrow bodies (even excluding your random exclusion of Delta's own European JV definition including 757s to KEF with your "east of Ireland" lol...)
Separately, I've always known about Delta's ALPA Scope provision to match partner flying but, since it's been coming up on other websites, I had forgotten that Delta doesn't get any Scope credit when they use something like a 757 or XLR (narrow body) so there's actually a reason Delta doesn't order the XLR like AA and UA and it likely isn't some enhanced desire for comfort. Delta has to fly widebodies across the Atlantic anyway so they might as well make sure an XLR isn't taking up a route where they could get JV pilot scope credit.
It's going to be interesting to see how many more dots Delta will lose as the 763 starts to retire and Delta no longer has a profitable plane to fly to smaller niche destinations like OPO or Malta, etc.
I have too much work to do today but your rant about others not letting you talk above? ;) You can say whatever you want, Tim, and you certainly do. But if you flat out try to lie about made up data presenting as fact to others, yes. You will get called out on it EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.
Post what you want, but make it factual and data-based. Or just be prepared to be embarrassed by people who actually know what they're talking about and use data before they make dogmatic statements ridiculing the size of UA to South America while actually having no idea that Delta is the smallest... ;)
see... this is precisely what well-run companies do.
They cull lower performing routes and add new ones.
DL's European network will be larger in 2026 than it will be in 2025 even though DL's new aircraft deliveries will be lower in 2026 than they have been in 2 years as a result of the A350-1000 delays.
DL is expected to retire at least a half dozen 767-300ERs over the next few months but this route...
see... this is precisely what well-run companies do.
They cull lower performing routes and add new ones.
DL's European network will be larger in 2026 than it will be in 2025 even though DL's new aircraft deliveries will be lower in 2026 than they have been in 2 years as a result of the A350-1000 delays.
DL is expected to retire at least a half dozen 767-300ERs over the next few months but this route will launch with one, proving why the 767 is perfect for certain routes.
UA and TP both fly from EWR with narrowbodies; the DL 767-300ER will be the largest aircraft in the market and will also offer the only all direct aisle business class access.
There are multiple routes from NYC where DL uses a 767 and UA uses a 757 (as well as from IAD)
OPO along with DL's 2 other new cities - Malta and Sardinia - show the shift in American traveler preference for southern Europe.
What a loser
Lol.. so it has nothing to do with GVA, LGW and BRU being flops, right?
"see... this is precisely what well-run companies do.
They cull lower performing routes and add new ones."
Yes - great point. No other airline but DL does this.
I think you already know, but your comment makes it sound like you might not.
UA begins taking delivery of A321XLRs next year. These will have state of the art premium cabins and will replace all 757 flying.
Also, with DL retiring 767s, they will soon be left with the A330 as their smallest plane. An aircraft likely too large to serve secondary cities in Europe.
Additionally, there is still the question...
I think you already know, but your comment makes it sound like you might not.
UA begins taking delivery of A321XLRs next year. These will have state of the art premium cabins and will replace all 757 flying.
Also, with DL retiring 767s, they will soon be left with the A330 as their smallest plane. An aircraft likely too large to serve secondary cities in Europe.
Additionally, there is still the question of why DL has so many underperforming routes from NYC. UA canceled a route too, but it was to Bergen, hardly in the same league as MUC, BRU, GVA, LGW.
With UA’s top notch route planning, along with hundreds of new planes being delivered, UA doesn’t seem to find itself in the situation of canceling four high-profile routes out of NYC.
I personally do not want to fly to Europe on a single aisle aircraft, nor would I consider Nuuk top notch.
you mean, UA's route planning, Mark, that generated just 75% of the profits that DL earned flying the Atlantic even though UA flies much more capacity?
and it's far worse this year. UA's TATL profits for the first 2 quarters of 2025 are just 58% of DL's.
Don't like those numbers? Feel free to let us know what other regions you want UA's profits to decrease in so that you can show higher profits across...
you mean, UA's route planning, Mark, that generated just 75% of the profits that DL earned flying the Atlantic even though UA flies much more capacity?
and it's far worse this year. UA's TATL profits for the first 2 quarters of 2025 are just 58% of DL's.
Don't like those numbers? Feel free to let us know what other regions you want UA's profits to decrease in so that you can show higher profits across the Atlantic (and the Pacific which is another story).
If UA cancelled a bunch of underperforming flights, it might actually end up with profit margins but it is precisely because it has route planners that think like you that routes are trophies rather than a means to generate profits that UA underperforms DL where it counts - which is on the bottom line.
no need to respond, Mark.
You have told us that you love that CF doesn't bother to reply to me. Have the self-control to do the same.
Tim, all I want to know is, if, according to you, UA makes less than DL in TATL and TPAC, but was more profitable than DL in Q1 and in the same range in Q2 (when excluding the over $500 million one time charge UA paid for FA retro)….
Where does UA outperform DL in order to make up all that lost ground which you say exists (though have never, not once, provided actual data to back that up)?
YAWNS.
The widebody argument is getting old. I look to UAL to get me to my destinations no matter what kind of airplane. United’s network is unmatched and eliminates the need to search anyone else.
Ps. Kayak eliminated the most profitable airline search filter for flights
Gee, I can pay for J to Porto. I can use EWR or JFK (ugh). I can fly in the worst widebody J on DL's 763, but get a window seat with direct aisle access. I can fly a UA 757 next to a stranger. The widebody argument isvrelevant to those of us who don't paint airlines as black or white.