American Ramps Up LAX Fight With Delta

American Airlines will add flights from Los Angeles to two hubs of rival Delta Air Lines, the latest move in a tug of war between the carriers at LAX.

American said it will fly five times daily from Los Angeles to Delta's Seattle hub and twice daily to Delta's Minneapolis hub. It said it plans to add 200 employees this year to support two extra airport gates and more than 20 new daily flights from Los Angeles, starting June 2.

For months, the airlines have added flights, sponsorships and advertisements in Los Angeles to increase share in one of the last major contested US airports.

Delta recently completed a USD$229 million renovation of its terminal at LAX, with a private check-in area for premium customers. American said it too will roll out lounge and terminal upgrades in 2016.

American-operated flights accounted for 20 percent of departures from Los Angeles last year, versus Delta's 18 percent, according to November schedules reviewed by aviation data company OAG.

By contrast, a majority of the 25 busiest airports in the United States had at least two-thirds of flights scheduled by a single airline, according to the OAG data.

The extra competition has contributed to leisure fares falling by 28 percent from a year ago for Los Angeles' most popular routes, a late December report by travel consultancy Harrell Associates found.