17-hour nonstop flights: Delta's 11 new ultra-long routes revealed [full list]

You will know by now that Delta Air Lines has finally confirmed that it will fly nonstop from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in Manila. This very long route had been widely anticipated and is now official. Delta last served MNL in 2021, albeit on a one-stop basis from the US mainland.

The first nonstop service to Manila will lift off next March, and will join Delta's 11 longest nonstop flights list. Two other new links are also on the list: LAX to Hong Kong International Airport (which started in June 2026) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Riyadh (which will take off in October).

Delta's 11 Longest Nonstop Flights

OAG data was used to examine the SkyTeam member's network nonstop between August 2026 and March 2027. As usual with such analysis, the maximum block or scheduled time was used. Reflecting slot possession, this includes taxiing at both ends of a route, the flight time, and a period for short delays. It is chocks-off-to-chocks-on, or stand-to-stand or gate-to-gate, and is what's shown in booking engines, in schedules, and so on.

The 11 longest links are summarized in the following table and shown on the subsequent interactive map. They exclude some particularly long sectors that will be served on a very limited basis for the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. For example, flights to HKG are timed at up to 15 hours and 55 minutes, while those to Taipei are up to 15 hours.

With a maximum block time exceeding 17 hours, Johannesburg back to ATL remains the longest market. It was primarily for this specific route that Delta launched the 275-seat Airbus A350-900 configuration. This is a more premium and lighter alternative, along with having a longer range, stronger take-off performance due to most aircraft having the 283-ton maximum take-off weight, and so on.

A Look At Delta Between LAX And MNL

Delta is focusing on developing two things. First, it is pushing ahead with nonstop flights to Asia (and it is likely to resume flights to India at some point). Until now, a lot of the operations were via Tokyo or SkyTeam's Seoul Incheon hub with joint venture partner Korean Air. Between August 2026 and next March, Delta has scheduled an average of 16 daily nonstop services to Asia. Its offering has risen by a tenth compared to the same period in 2025/2026. Second, Delta is really developing its presence at LAX. When all routes are considered, 12% more departures are now available from the largest West Coast airport.

LAX-MNL is a huge market. In the 12 months to April 2026, booking data shows that 379,000 round-trip passengers flew between the two airports. Nearly half of the market flew via a hub en route, with Philippine Airlines being the only nonstop operator — until Delta arrives next year. Unsurprisingly, LAX was the largest market between the US and the Philippines.

The Problem Is Not Traffic...

Like most markets that revolve around diaspora, the yields between LAX and MNL are not particularly high due to lower premium traffic. The sheer length of this route, at 6,348 nautical miles (11,757 km) each way, and a maximum block time of 14 hours and 40 minutes, will also depress yields. When all airlines, cabins, and passengers are included, the average base fare between LAX and MNL (excluding taxes, a fuel surcharge, and add-ons) was $520 each way.

Delta currently has three routes from LAX to Asia: HKG, Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND). While far from being like-for-like comparisons, they all have significantly more premium traffic than MNL, which means much higher fares. The length of MNL flights will also mean much higher operating expenses, at least compared to some of the other routes.

When the entire market is included, the lowest average fare from LAX to HKG, HND, and PVG was to HND, at $976 one-way. When MNL's considerably longer distance is factored in, MNL's average fare per nautical mile is 41% lower than HND's. Will Delta be able to attain a price premium for its better product compared to Philippine Airlines, particularly given Delta's much lower frequency?