Originally Posted by
cbn42
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the LAX slots are subject to any onerous requirements to be used every day. DL (and others) could easily cut back the service seasonally. However, given how willing DOT was to re-allocate the SEA slot, they may be more cautious about doing so.
AA refuted DL's assertion that demand to HND was seasonal, and the DOT agreed. Business travel to Tokyo is NOT seasonal, and thus business travel to HND isn't seasonal. Nearly every airline flight between the USA and Tokyo (NRT or HND) operates year-round with no seasonality.
Leisure travel to Japan and Tokyo is highly seasonal, however, and it's apparent that from SEA, DL was attracting too few business travelers. Business travelers are the reason that HND was reopened to long-haul flights. The main problem with Tokyo is that it features very low O&D to Tokyo compared to LAX, SFO, JFK and ORD (the primary O&D markets to/from Japan). Without sufficient business traveler O&D, DL was forced to fill the SEA flight with tourists, and tourist travel to Japan is nearly zero during their (and our) winter. Like Dublin.
Originally Posted by
cbn42
I'm just musing here, but is it possible to split a slot? For example, could DL fly to HND from LAX on some days and SEA on others, or does a slot at HND have to be used to fly only to one city?
Nope. With far more requests than the four available authorities (and slots), airlines must designate their gateway and stick to it (or surrender their slots, like AA did with JFK).