FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - future ATL-asia routes?
View Single Post
Old Nov 9, 2011, 3:37 am
  #4  
pbarnette
Suspended
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: UA Silver, BA Gold, DL Gold
Posts: 9,779
While I think the congestion complaints about ATL are way overplayed and will become only more overplayed once the new international terminal is open, the reality is that ATL is just too far removed for much TPAC service. I mean, ATL-HKG would be the 5th longest flight in the world, and ATL-PVG is already in the top 25.

The economics start eroding pretty quickly when you get to ATL-Asia distances. SQ makes the SIN non-stops work, but they have great yields on the all-J plane. Aside from those routes, you have the LAX-BKK money pit that TG runs, quite a few routes to HKG, and a couple to BOM. That is pretty much it for distances comparable to ATL-Asia for TPAC. I'd offer that this should tell folks something about the feasibility of such routes.

DTW is better, but for service to second-tier destinations to be really workable, then I'd say that DL would be well-served to think hard about continuing to build ex-SEA capabilities.
pbarnette is offline