
Seattle will lose Delta’s Tokyo Haneda route, which goes to American for LAX-Haneda flights. (Image: Jim Glab)
In international route news, Delta is throwing in the towel on its transpacific route from Seattle to Tokyo Haneda; Orlando adds more service to Latin America; American plans a new South American route from DFW; ANA adds a new U.S. gateway; and San Francisco gets more Hong Kong flights.
Delta told the Transportation Department it plans to discontinue service on its Seattle-Tokyo Haneda route at the end of September. The route authority into Tokyo‘s close-in airport will reportedly go to American, which wants it for Los Angeles-Haneda flights, and plans to start them this fall. Delta had been under pressure from the Transportation Department to maintain regular year-round daily service on the SEA-HND route if it wanted to keep it, and apparently Delta decided that it just wasn’t viable under those conditions. Delta will continue to fly from SEA to Tokyo Narita.
In other route news, Delta has started daily seasonal service from Atlanta to Zurich for the summer, using a 767-300ER. It has also decided to turn its service between New York JFK and Nice, France — which previously ran 10 months a year — into a year-round operation. And Delta said that starting next March 27, its JFK-Tokyo Narita flight will continue beyond Narita to Osaka’s Kansai International Airport.
The LatAm Airlines Group is adding a pair of new routes from Orlando to South America. TAM Airlines has started daily service between Orlando and the Brazilian capital city of Brasilia, using a 767-300ER. And June 20 was set as the launch date for LAN Peru’s new daily non-stops between Orlando and Lima, Peru, using an A319.
American Airlines plans to add another Latin America spoke from its Dallas/Ft. Worth hub. The carrier has filed for government approval to begin DFW-Quito, Ecuador flights five times a week starting December 18, using an A319.
All Nippon Airways has launched its newest transpacific route, linking Tokyo Narita and Houston Bush Intercontinental with a daily 777-300ER flight. Houston is a hub for United, which is a partner with ANA in the Star Alliance.
At San Francisco, Cathay Pacific has increased frequencies on its Hong Kong route from 14 a week to 17, adding an extra SFO departure on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 1:30 a.m. with a 777-300ER. And starting December 12, China Eastern plans to change equipment on its SFO-Shanghai Pudong route from an A330-200 to a 777-300ER.
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