Does Sardinia win Delta's Route Race? Rumors say yes. What we know so far
As they say: who's there, is there. The televoting was officially closed last August 29 and now no [...]
Delta
SkyTeam
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As they say: who is there, is there. The televoting was officially closed last August 29 and now all that remains is to wait - patiently - for the results. The reference, evidently, is to the "Route Race" launched by U.S. airline Delta: challenge through which, as we have recounted in other articles, employees and members SkyMiles - DL's frequent flyer, ed. - were able to choose the European destination which will be served from thesummer 2026. There were three options: Ibiza, Malta and the Sardinia; needless to specify which of the 3 we at TFC voted for.
In this article:
According to rumors, the winning destination would be Sardinia
When will the winning destination be discovered? Hard to say: Delta has not announced any date for the announcement of the results. And also for this reason, probably, several rumors - Very insistent, moreover.
One, in particular, has been 'picked up' by several blogs in recent hours: according to the leak in question, published by the well-known aviation insider JonNYC, the winner of the challenge would be Sardinia. Should it be confirmed by Delta, for us Italians it would be a super news: and for Sardinians living on the Island - like myself, moreover - even more so.
Why Sardinia might actually win
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It is not so remote, however, the possibility that the winning destination is actually Sardinia. Suffice it to say that last August 27, two days before voting closed, the U.S. carrier posted an update on its Instagram profile: Sardinia was apparently in first place, followed by Malta and Ibiza.
It is good to consider, then, how much Americans are in love with Italy, including Sardinia: according to ISTAT data, in fact, In 2024 alone, nearly 300,000 Americans came to the Island, the 46% of which chose the north (Costa Smeralda in the first place). It would not be strange, then, if among the 3 airports was the one in Olbia to have a link direct With the United States.
In conclusion
Is Sardinia in pole position? Apparently so. Rumors aside, however, there are also those who are very much skeptical with respect to this challenge: some think the outcome is already written, while others argue that it is just a move of "guerrilla marketing". All we have to do is wait for an official communication from the company: the hope, of course, is that Sardinia and Sardinians will - finally - have a direct flight to and from the US. The time, perhaps, is ripe enough.
