Delta Air Lines is the US’s second-largest operator for international passengers. According to the country’s Department of Transportation (DOT), it had 29.0 million such passengers in the 12 months to January 2026.

Traffic was flat year-over-year. But as capacity, in the form of available seats, rose by 1.5%, the SkyTeam member’s load factor (technically, seat factor) consequently fell. It filled 84.8% of international seats. It outperformed American Airlines (84.4%), United Airlines (81.3%), and the US average (82.1%), although it is always about how it was achieved.

This Was Delta’s Worst International Route For Load Factor

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Using DOT data to examine all the carrier’s services beyond the US border identifies the worst-performing route by load factor. It is just one performance measure and should not be considered in isolation. However, exceptionally low figures speak volumes. Where that’s the case, additional context is usually essential to better understand it. It is unusual for a route that has operated for some time to feature, as it would have been cut.

With only 48.2% of seats filled, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to St. Vincent ranks bottom (5,250 round-trip passengers). This is mainly because the route, which covers 1,766 natural miles (3,271 km) each way, is brand-new.

It only launched in December. Before then, nonstop flights did not exist. Nonetheless, filling fewer than half of the available seats, even in the first two months of operating, was very poor. It will be good to see how it develops.

Delta’s 2nd To 5th-Lowest Results

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With a load factor of 50.9%, New York JFK Airport (JFK) to Lagos was second (23,808 passengers). According to Cirium Diio data, this long route to Nigeria’s most populous city returned in December 2024 and operated until March 2025.

It was served again between December 2025 and January 2026 to capture the Christmas vacation demand. The shorter period was because the DOT indicates that only 37.9% of seats were filled in February last year, which rose to 49.1% in March. By reducing the operating period and cutting capacity, it should boost overall results. The route will return in December 2026.

In third place was JFK to Kingston with 54.3% (2,737 passengers), followed by Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Mazatlan with 56.3% (1,187 passengers). The former route only operated between January 2024 and January 2026, while the latter market had flights from December 2024 to April 2025. They have both ended.

Miami International Airport (MIA) to Havana ranked fifth, with 56.8% (118,174 passengers). Delta has served it since April 2023. In the examined period, the airline primarily had twice-daily flights. However, the poor result meant that the frequency in 2026 has been halved to daily, with all services being on the ubiquitous Boeing 737-800. While Canadian carriers have suspended flights to Cuba due to the lack of fuel, Delta will just tanker fuel on the short hop from Miami.

Delta’s 6th To 10th-Ranked Results

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With a load factor of just 61.4%, two routes were tied for the sixth spot: JFK to Barbados (3,731 passengers) and Orlando to London Heathrow (10,000). Delta reintroduced the route to Barbados in December 2024; it continues to be served seasonally. The long-haul offering from the so-called Magic City was to supplement its transatlantic joint venture and equity partner Virgin Atlantic. It was highly unusual in Delta’s network and did not last long.

Then there was JFK to Antigua with 65.9% (4,236 passengers), JFK to Grand Cayman with 66.6% (1,682 passengers), ATL to Grenada with 66.8% (7,261 passengers), and ATL to Accra with 67.4% (17,569 passengers). Flights resumed in either December 2024 (JFK to Antigua) or December 2025 (the others). As such, it is way too early to read anything into the results. Time is needed to see how they develop.