Delta and United vie for Cape Town: who wins?

As most airlines worldwide continue their work to rebuild towards pre-pandemic operating levels, it would seem that a battle for route rights would be far out in the future.

But in the US, Delta Air Lines and United are embroiled in a spat over which airline has the better prospects for serving Cape Town. The rhetoric has amplified as each airline attempts to convince regulators that their own proposed service is superior.

In some ways, it seems odd that these competitors are engaged in a fierce argument to add service to Cape Town, because long haul international travel is not forecast to rebound fully for some time.

But on a broader scale, it reflects how airlines are working to position themselves as air traffic continues to move towards a more normalised state.