Delta Air Lines will launch nonstop shuttle service between Los Angeles International and San Francisco International airports from 3 September.

The Atlanta-based SkyTeam alliance member will offer 14 daily flights on the hour from 07:00 to 20:00 on the route. It will operate similar to Delta's existing New York LaGuardia shuttles, allowing passengers to check-in up to 30min before departure and with complementary inflight snacks and drinks.

"Our new Delta Shuttle on the west coast is designed to make doing business between Los Angeles and San Francisco easier," says Tim Mapes, senior vice-president of marketing, in a statement.

Delta Connection partner Compass Airlines will operate the route using 76-seat Embraer 175 aircraft.

With the beefed up service - Delta already serves the market with about 10 weekday flights - the carrier is challenging west coast leaders Southwest Airlines and United Airlines in one of the region's most competitive markets.

Southwest offers at least 11 weekday flights and United at least 14 weekday flights on the route as well as a significant number of frequencies on American Airlines and Virgin America, Innovata schedules show.

Source: Air Transport Intelligence news