No, it’s the actions of a company realising the UK is a bargain bucket for its home audience

100% great point, I hadn't realised with the exchange rates being where they are, this is the best time for years for Americans to visit.

Maybe the seats will also be filled by the long suffering rich after today’s budget! 💩

…but equally as many new DL routes/resumptions/increases outwith the UK (GBP pound). Though Euro down a bit too.

Will be interesting to see if, and how JetBlue, Norse Atlantic and BA react to DL's LGW-JFK service... JetBlue for example are already going double daily from the end of October, albeit on much smaller aircraft, and will likely look to add more frequencies beyond this in future. Norse will also likely want to increase frequency, and there is talk of them wanting to open up new routes to the US from an LGW based operation. After the loss of Norwegian and Virgin Atlantic, its great seeing services to the US begin to expand again from LGW :)

Yes the Delta flight is only summer seasonal only and on a 767-300 with varying Cabin products.
Fares will surely though have to be keen as the common factor of LGW is mainly ''leisure'' pax, who will usually look for the cheapest deals ie: Jetblue and now Norse is back flying to JFK too (ex Norwegian)
For Delta to go head to head at LGW with BA + 2 low cost carriers is surprising - is it to keep slots for a return of Virgin one day >?
This is the first time Delta is to be seen back at LGW since 2012.

Historically BA have had a LGW-USA/Transatlantic presence for many years.
West Jet (again a very seasonal airline) has also culled some summer 2023 Gatwick - Canada flights/destinations, and moved routes over to LHR.

Quote from above - No, it’s the actions of a company realising the UK is a bargain bucket for its home audience - Yes!

Thats what I was thinking RE. VS slots. DL's entry could have also been initiated by the fact that VS still want to have a window of opportunity to re-enter LGW within the next year or so without the risk of losing their slots for good. Thing is though, even with the new DL service to JFK, who is using the remainder of VS' slots in the interim?

Virgin's return to LGW (or not) will be endlessly obsessed about on here for months to
come. At the moment there's no Virgin Clubhouse which for London is a huge part of the experience. When moves are afoot to re-open that, we'll know. This JFK-LGW seasonal route would be all about Delta keeping their own fleet productive as the US POS will be on fire for US-UK given the current exchange rate.

Bamboo Airways to start Lgw - SGN once weekly from December.

Of the main London airports, Gatwick is most dependent on rail for pax travelling to/from London. Luton and Stansted have good coach service to London, Heathrow has the tube, and City has the DLR... but for Gatwick there is no other alternative public transport.

There are rather limited rail services to/from London despite strikes but nothing before about 0830 or after 1800. Have the rail strikes, particularly for early morning and late evening had much effect on air passenger numbers, both on strike days, and also having an impact on future air ticket sales ?

There are a magnitude of national express coach services that stop at gatwick twenty four seven !!!!!!!

From all over the country btw .

Plus the frequent coaches from Oxford, Cambridge and Norwich and many enroute Brighton and Worthing .

Mountains of alternative public transport to the trains exist.

Lots of coaches to Gatwick from all over the country but very few actually from London. None from North or East London that I'm aware of, having lived here for 20+ years ...

There seems to be a half-hourly Thameslink train service from London Bridge today, so Gatwick isn't entirely without a train service to London on strike days.

I believe National Express have been laying on extra coaches on some routes on strike dates.

I haven't been at the airport station on any of the strike days, so have no idea how chaotic it is.

EVERY 15 minutes from Victoria pretty easy , and through ticket from ALL other Nationwide National express departure points . Three services a day from Newcastle operate via Gatwick to Brighton , Worthing or Lewes ( more via a change in Birmingham)

National Express operate hubs at Birmingham ( a right dump) Miton Keynes, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield as well as Victoria .

Also can change at Heathrow from National services onto the Airport shuttles that the run between Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick every 10 minutes most of the day.

If you are in North London just get to Finchley Road via Met , Jubilee, local bus or connect one stop down from the London Overground at West Hampstead to get National Express services every 15 minutes into Victoria and beyond or up to Luton Airport and beyond.

It’s not difficult

Seriously if you rely of public transport National Express remains a viable option ( caveat time ) and competition to rail .

When I was knee high to a grass ‘opper routinely used National Express and student discounts to get all over the country often travelling overnight .

Over 11 hours to Gatwick.... :{

I live in NE London and, along with most people in North and East London, going to Finchley Road for Gatwick is a non-starter. Fine for Luton, as is NatEx and others for STN. Taking the tube to Victoria is OK but then you have the annoying walk down to Victoria Bus Station for any coach to LGW.
Anyway, it's only a few days of strikes...

Get the National Express coach from Tottenham Hale then

Afraid Dan Air BCal and even Gill Air are long gone

Erm.. there is no NatEx coach from Tottenham Hale

Oh sorry they transferred the stop on the A18 to Stratford as some point