Next June, Delta will enter the competitive Los Angeles-Chicago market and begin flying to Hong Kong from LAX.
Delta will operate LAX-O'Hare three times daily beginning June 7 using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The route is currently served by United, American, Frontier and Spirit.
United and American each have hubs at O'Hare and LAX and dominate the market. United is scheduled to operate up to 11 daily flights between the cities this month, with American close behind at 10, according to Cirium.
Delta doesn't have a hub in Chicago, but it does at LAX, where it is the largest airline, averaging 296 daily arrivals and departures, according to flight-tracking service AirNav Radar, slightly topping both United and American.
Delta said flying LAX-O'Hare will enable it to offer Chicago flyers seamless connections to the airline's growing transpacific network. That growth will include Hong Kong.
Delta's daily LAX-Hong Kong flights will begin June 6 on Airbus A350-900 planes equipped with business, premium economy and economy cabins.
Delta will compete on the route with United and Cathay Pacific.