Delta is the leading U.S. airline to China. And, as well as making significant investments in the products and services we offer on board and on the ground, Delta strives to get your customers where they want to go on time and with their bags.

Top tier performance

When it comes to reliability, Delta leads other U.S. airlines on flights from China and around the world.

From China, Delta was the number one U.S. airline for on-time arrivals last year, with 86% of flights arriving within 14 minutes of schedule. Delta also had the fewest cancellations of other U.S. airlines, with 99.85% of services from China operating as scheduled.

Worldwide, Delta’s performance in 2018 was just as strong and has been recognized with several prestigious awards. For the second consecutive year, Flightglobal named Delta ‘Most On-time North American Mainline,’ ‘Most On-time North American Network Airline,’ and ‘Most On-time International Mainline Airline.’

Smoother service

Flights are also smoother thanks to Delta’s Flight Weather View app, a pioneering tool that enables pilots to spot and avoid patches of turbulence in-flight.

Pilots can let customers and crew know when they'll be entering rough air, helping customers trust the seatbelt sign while reducing stress for nervous travelers who know what to expect. 

Thanks to the app, Delta is the only global airline to experience a decrease in severe turbulence encounters.

A modern fleet

Delta is making significant investments in the products and services it offers customers flying from China. Most flights are operated using our flagship international aircraft - the A350 and fully-refurbished B777 - while later this year, Shanghai will become the launch market for Delta’s brand-new A330-900neo.

These feature all four branded products – Delta One®, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+® and Main Cabin – offering a greater choice of travel options than any other airline on flights between China and the U.S.

Meanwhile, Delta continues to renew its domestic fleet, operating modern aircraft including Boeing 737-900, Airbus 321 and the new A220. These aircraft are equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi and in-seat screens featuring complimentary Delta Studio® entertainment for every customer.

RFID Bags

Customers with checked bags also have greater peace of mind thanks to RFID technology, which achieves a read rate of 99-100%, making it the leading technology to ensure accurate bag tracking.

The chip in each bag tag synchs to the Fly Delta app to give customers real-time information on their bag’s location via live push notifications to their phone. Delta remains the only global airline to deploy this technology across its network.

Highlights of Delta’s global operational performance for 2018 include:

99.65% – Completion factor - the percentage of flights flown versus flights scheduled

85.96% - Arrivals within 14 minutes of schedule

323 – Days without a single mainline cancellation

143 – ‘Brand days’ - days without a cancellation across both Delta mainline and Delta Connection operations^, up from 90 days in 2017.

4,000 – Fewer maintenance delays versus 2017