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Delta Air Lines is coming back to California’s Central Coast. The carrier will start flying from Monterey Regional Airport on December 19, 2026, its first scheduled service there since January 2008, and The Points Guy reported the plan on September 14 with both routes and the aircraft type attached.
For anyone who has been driving two hours down from San Francisco or San Jose to reach Carmel, Big Sur or the Monterey Peninsula, this is the part that matters: from mid December there is a third hub option into the airport that sits closest to all of it. Our airline guides cover how regional service like this usually settles in over a first season.
- Start date: December 19, 2026, right at the front of the holiday travel period.
- Routes: twice daily to Los Angeles and once daily to Salt Lake City.
- Aircraft: Embraer 175 regional jets flown as Delta Connection.
- The gap: Delta last operated regular Monterey flights in January 2008, almost 19 years ago.
Two Hubs, Two Different Jobs
The pairing is not accidental. Los Angeles twice a day gives Monterey travelers a same day connection bank to the rest of the West Coast, Mexico and the transpacific network. Salt Lake City once a day opens the interior and the eastern half of the United States without routing through the Bay Area.
That is the practical gain. A Monterey resident heading to Atlanta or Detroit has had to drive to San Jose or San Francisco first. From December 19 there is a one stop option from the local airport instead.
Monterey Is Already a Contested Airport
Delta is arriving into a market its main competitors never left. American, United and Alaska all serve Monterey today, so the airport goes from three national carriers to four in one step. That is unusual for an airport of this size, and it is worth watching what it does to fares on the Los Angeles run in particular, where Delta will be the only carrier offering two daily departures.
The airport is also mid rebuild. Monterey is constructing a $200 million replacement terminal that officials expect to have running by roughly this time next year, at 62,754 square feet with faster security screening and a 425,000 square foot apron sized for larger commercial jets. Delta’s first season will run out of the legacy building.
What the Embraer 175 Means Here
These are regional jets, not mainline aircraft, and that shapes the experience more than the schedule does. Overhead bin space on an E175 is tighter than on a 737 or A320, so a full sized roller bag is more likely to be gate checked on a busy December departure even when it fits the carry on rules.
The other thing to plan around is the terminal itself. Monterey is small, with limited gates and limited security throughput, so the usual advice about arriving early applies more strongly here in December than it would at a large airport with a dozen lanes.
One Monterey Quirk Worth Knowing
If you are comparing options at Monterey, note that not every flight leaves from the same building. The airport states on its own airlines page that JSX flights operate out of the Monterey Jet Center at 200 Sky Park Drive rather than the commercial terminal, so a booking that looks like a Monterey departure may not put you where the Delta, American, United and Alaska check in desks are.
Delta’s flights will use the commercial terminal like the other three carriers.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Are booking a Carmel or Big Sur trip after December 19 | Price Monterey against San Jose and San Francisco again. The drive saved is roughly two hours each way. |
| Are connecting to the East Coast or the Midwest | Take the Salt Lake City flight. It is the one that opens the interior without a Bay Area drive. |
| Are connecting to Mexico, Hawaii or Asia | Take Los Angeles. It runs twice daily, so a missed connection has a same day recovery. |
| Travel with a full sized carry on | Expect a gate check on the Embraer 175 during the December peak and pack accordingly. |
December 19, 2026 is the first day of service. Anything before it still means San Jose, San Francisco or one of the three incumbent carriers.
The holiday peak starts immediately. A new route launching into the busiest fortnight of the year gives the schedule no settling in period, so build slack into tight connections in the first weeks.
The new terminal is a season away. Officials expect the $200 million replacement running by about this time next year, so the first Delta winter runs out of the existing building.
When does Delta start flying to Monterey?
December 19, 2026. It is Delta’s first scheduled Monterey service since January 2008.
Where do the Monterey flights go?
Los Angeles twice daily and Salt Lake City once daily, both on Embraer 175 regional jets operated as Delta Connection.
Which other airlines fly to Monterey?
American, United and Alaska already serve the airport, so Delta’s arrival takes it to four national carriers.
Is Monterey Regional Airport being rebuilt?
Yes. A $200 million replacement terminal of 62,754 square feet is under construction and officials expect it running by roughly September 2027, with faster security screening and an apron sized for larger jets.
