Originally Posted by
rob_flies_ua
"Both airlines" are really treated as one airline for competition's sake; UA and ANA have a joint venture across the pacific, so they share revenue and costs on this route even though the metal is different.
That is the most important point made here. This agreement actually is an encouragement for UA to stop the SEA-NRT flight. They closed the first class lounge in Seattle about 5 years ago. Also, old UA has shrunk operations significantly in Seattle; they used to have two IAD and two ORD redeyes + almost hourly flights to SFO and LAX. Even with the added CO flights, they are not what they used to be. Many of can remember old UA "owning" the N concourse. Now they are maybe 1/2.