Delta Ups Game For 2026 Masters With Supersized Service To Augusta

Forbes

2 days ago

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 13: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates winning the 2025 Masters ... More Tournament after the playoff hole on the 18th green during the final round of the 2025 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 13, 2025 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by)
Patrons—the official Masters nomenclature for spectators—have long jetted into Augusta for golf's ritzy Spring major, with a sizeable contingent of affluent fans flying private.
Every April, hundreds of sleek jets flock into East Georgia, the Gulfstreams and Cessnas parked wing-to-wing on jammed regional tarmacs lending the scene an air show vibe. The Sunday evening exodus after the final putt drops, consistently merits media attention.
The lion's share of golf fans who make the commute from far and wide to gorge on pimento cheese sandwiches and post up on Amen Corner while they take in the quest for the green jacket fly in via the hub-and-spoke network. And while Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) sees a spike in service during tournament week, many fans still fly into Atlanta or Columbia, South Carolina, then make the 2.5 hour or hour and change drive to the prestigious course.
Delta Air Lines—an international partner of the Masters since 2018, has announced they are supersizing seat capacity during tournament week from 1,200 up to 3,800 on peak travel days from April 5-13, 2026. The move includes 18 daily flights into Augusta, with newly minted nonstop service from Los Angeles, Nashville, and Newark. While Delta has been steadily increasing its Masters schedule for years, 2026 will mark its largest schedule yet for golf's most iconic week.
Route Playbook
'We have a lot of data on where demand is coming in from,' Amy Martin, Delta's vice president of network planning, explained. 'We look at historical and forward-looking trends to see where we need more than just connecting service. We're the number one carrier in L.A. so it's natural fit for us, we also have been building a big franchise in Nashville and Newark popped up as a strong opportunity that has been unserved in the past.'
While Masters attendance has remained relatively fixed for decades, it's a perennially sold out event, Delta saw an opportunity to eliminate a common pain point: the long drive in from larger airports.
'We'll still have a lot of people flying into Atlanta,' Martin said, 'but are trying to make sure that we're making it easier for people to get to the Masters. That's good business and also really good for our customers, because it's making it easier to get them to where they want to be.'
Delivering on that convenience isn't without complications. Augusta Regional's limited infrastructure and crowded tarmacs—especially with that swarm of private jets mentioned earlier—presents real logistical constraints. But Delta's network team is well-versed in planning around high-traffic events.
'We have conversations with the airport as well as our own airport customer service teams about what's going to be operationally feasible. So, we do not make these decisions in a vacuum.' Martin said.
The Masters is one of the biggest of the nearly 400 special events Delta programs for annually, many of them centered around major sporting BLANKS. 'Golf has been a big one,' she noted. 'We just recently announced 40 additional flights for the NFL regular season, including Atlanta to Berlin for the Falcons vs. Colts game,' Martin added.
Top Shelf Tourney
Premium cabin demand tends to surge during Masters week, in line with broader trends. 'In general, we're seeing premium demand outperforming coach,' she said, with that rule of thumb holding true for both domestic and international flights.
As for timing, just as the greens at Augusta National reliably run fast, flights to the tournament tend to book just as quickly. Demand typically spikes right after fans are notified they've secured tickets through the Masters lottery—a window Delta's planners track closely each year.