Delta Air Lines
DL · DALDelta Air Lines carries about 201.3M passengers a year on 992 aircraft, the 2nd-largest US airline by passengers flown. Its busiest airport is Atlanta.
Passengers flown a year
201.3M
#2 US airline by passengers
992
aircraft
431
nonstop destinations
65
countries served
14.9 yr
average fleet age
81.5%
arrivals on time
83.6%
load factor
Market position
Delta Air Lines flew 20.8% of all US passengers over the past year — the 2nd-largest share of any carrier.
Share of all US passengers flown · each carrier a slice of the market
Where Delta Air Lines flies
What Delta Air Lines actually flew — departures, seats, and passengers filed with the US DOT, the live complement to the fleet it owns.
Departures
1,795,969
12 months to July 2026
Seats flown
245,302,784
Passengers
201.3M
Load factor
83.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Busiest Delta Air Lines routes
30 flights a day · 1,924,396 passengers
88.5%
full
24 flights a day · 1,515,426 passengers
88.4%
full
26 flights a day · 1,484,268 passengers
82.7%
full
23 flights a day · 1,430,507 passengers
87.2%
full
21 flights a day · 1,395,629 passengers
88.4%
full
21 flights a day · 1,246,032 passengers
85.8%
full
21 flights a day · 1,222,092 passengers
84.2%
full
20 flights a day · 1,198,701 passengers
87.7%
full
Bars are seats added or cut; the figure is the percentage. Comparing August 2025–July 2026 against August 2024–July 2025. Routes the airline started or dropped mid-year are left out — a percentage between a partial year and a full one measures whether the route existed, not how its capacity changed.
Where Delta Air Lines dominates
Delta Air Lines carries a commanding share of the passengers at its fortress hubs — a clearer read on its power than raw fleet size. Share is of every carrier's passengers at that airport, including its regional feeders; on time is that hub's own arrival rate.
- ATL
Atlanta
81.6M81,629,639 passengers · 85.5% on time
80%
of airport
85.5%
on time
- DTW
Detroit
23.7M23,718,745 passengers · 82.9% on time
74%
of airport
82.9%
on time
- MSP
Minneapolis
24.6M24,585,966 passengers · 83.4% on time
71%
of airport
83.4%
on time
- SLC
Salt Lake City
18.9M18,873,588 passengers · 85.5% on time
70%
of airport
85.5%
on time
- JFK
New York
18.3M18,257,266 passengers · 81.2% on time
31%
of airport
81.2%
on time
- BOS
Boston
11.5M11,544,193 passengers
28%
of airport
—
on time
- SEA
Seattle
12.4M12,393,193 passengers · 81.8% on time
25%
of airport
81.8%
on time
- LAX
Los Angeles
13.6M13,646,293 passengers · 82.4% on time
19%
of airport
82.4%
on time
Also measured on time · LGA 75.2%
The fleet
Delta Air Lines reports 992 airframes across 18 types, averaging 14.9 yr. Click through for every tail number, its delivery date and age.
- In the filing
- 992989 in service · 3 stored
- Average age
- 14.9 yrAcross 992 dated airframes
- Types operated
- 18Largest: Boeing 737-900ER
82% narrowbody · 18% widebody · by aircraft
| Type | Count | Avg age |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-900ER | 163 | 10.2 yr |
| Airbus A321 | 127 | 4.5 yr |
| Airbus A321neo | 87 | 2.8 yr |
| Boeing 717-200 | 81 | 24.1 yr |
| Boeing 737-800 | 77 | 24.9 yr |
| Boeing 757-200 | 76 | 27.2 yr |
On-time performance
Of every 100 Delta Air Lines flights, 82 touch down within 15 minutes of schedule, 16 arrive late, and 2 are cancelled. That is a 81.5% on-time rate across 1M arrivals over the trailing 12 months.
Every 100 flights
14 min
average delay
17,789
flights cancelled
1M
arrivals measured
What holds flights up
Share of delay minutes
On time, month by month
A
S
O
N
D
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
Darker is better · 74.1%–87.6%
The weak spot is July 2026, when 74.1% of arrivals landed on time — 7.4 points below the year. The strongest was September 2025 at 87.6%.
On time vs. peers
Bars scaled to the best performer, not to zero
Delta Air Lines lands 81.5% of its arrivals on time — the best of the group.
Frequently asked
How big is Delta Air Lines's fleet?
Delta Air Lines reports a fleet of about 992 aircraft across 18 types, with an average age of 14.9 yr.
How many passengers does Delta Air Lines carry a year?
Delta Air Lines carries about 201.3M passengers a year, the 2nd-largest US airline by passengers flown.
What is Delta Air Lines's biggest hub?
Delta Air Lines's busiest airport is Atlanta, where it flies about 80% of all passengers.
How many destinations does Delta Air Lines fly to?
Delta Air Lines serves about 431 nonstop destinations in 65 countries.
How reliable is Delta Air Lines?
About 81.5% of Delta Air Lines flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule over the trailing 12 months, per US DOT figures.
Trip reports on YouTube
Fliers post trip reports from Delta Air Lines flights to YouTube. These three were matched automatically from public YouTube listings — The Frequent Flier does not host, review, or endorse them.
Simply Aviation
BRUTALLY HONEST | Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-900neo in PREMIUM ECONOMY from Amsterdam to Seattle!
31:04 · Jun 2026
Nonstop Dan
I FINALLY Flew Delta One Business Class (most requested review)
24:43 · Jun 2024
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