SEA-HKG Nonstop coming by end of year, confirmed by SEA SC agent
 

Mods if this is old news please merge. I hadn't seen confirmation of this from anyone inside DL posted on FT yet.

A couple days ago I sent to the SEA SC on a layover waiting for my "direct" SEA-HKG flight where you have to "change planes" in NRT (a/k/a a connection by a different name). The SC agent checking me in said, "You know, they're going to have a nonstop Seattle to Hong Kong flight soon." I played dumb and said oh really? "Yes, it's not in the books yet but it's coming by the end of the year." Interesting, thanks.

Then when I went to the luxury bar to ask for a Coke Zero :rolleyes: the bartender asked where I was going. HKG, I said. The bartender says oh yeah, they're going to have a real nonstop soon isn't that cool? Even the bartender knows and he isn't even a DL employee.

While I would have preferred the return of HKG-DTW or something like HKG-JFK or HKG-ATL, it will be nice to have more than one DL option out of HKG.

Very nice if it is true! As you said, I would have preferred it out of JFK. Hopefully with the T4 expansion at JFK, we will see some Asian flights added.

CX would destroy DL in JFK-HKG in both premium classes (much better product, it actually has a F class) and Y loads (the potential to dump capacity-not that these flights are going out empty.)

+1. DL needs to serve PVG, ICN, and PEK from JFK. Btw, does AB332 have enough range for SEA to HKG route?

I would have booked SEA-PDX-NRT-HKG unless the fare component said not to book on code shares in order to maximize mileage without violating MPM.
(Not only that, I tend to see more X/V availability on most days.)

I'm surprised CX has not started a HKG-SEA non-stop. It seems like a logical market and load factors would be close to full (or at least full freight underneath). That said, it took them long enough to add HKG-ORD. SEA would seem to be their next logical expansion into the US market.

I agree with you on the DL DTW-HKG service. Too bad they pulled out of it for now. US east coast to HKG has poor options unless you go JFK-HKG (but then you are stuck with CX). Not a bad option, but if you don't use AA or CX for your premier mileage carrier, you are stuck. Used to go BOS-ORD-HKG, and that was acceptable. Now UA has the 777 on ORD-HKG instead of the 747-400 at least through the summer. Just a better offering of biz class seating on the -400. UA, bring it back!

CX does YVR-HKG 2x/day.

Base on my op-up rate DTW HKG DTW it was a money loser for DL unless the belly is full.

Yeah, but YVR and SEA are completely different markets.

This would be great! Probably served by a 767 or A330? Or does this route need to be 777?

If it's not lie-flat seats, it's useless.

Manila is in the works too.
 

With Fifth Amendment Flying rights to Japan obsolete and extended range aircrafts needing less stopovers, SEA has begun to replace NRT hub with more asian routes on its way.

Manila, London, and Hong Kong, all coming soon. AS will soon have only one US airline partner. Even stronger AS/DL partnership coming soon.

Jiburi

OP-I Threw in a hint July 2, 2013. ;)

Might start with a 763 (flat bed) because it appears to just barely have the range for SEA-HKG and then switch to Airbus once enough mods are done, unless the route doesn't launch until they have enough Airbii. Both the A332 and A333 have the range for SEA-HKG.

CX is looking closely at SEA-HKG. It is likely their next NA gateway. (very reliable internal source)

It is not imminent, but DL entering the market could change that.

LON is well documented.
Is MNL conjecture on your part, or rumor, or well sourced? MNL and London would be quite popular among my colleagues and me!