Originally Posted by
3Cforme
Money talks. Unlike airport incentives restricted in duration and amount by FAA regs, a private organization like MoA can subsidize a flight as richly and as long as it wants.
Fifth freedom rights are really from another era. Smaller aircraft with full TPAC range (think 777-200ER) killed NRT for UA and NW/DL. Death has been very slow in coming.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/30/op...orth-pole.html
Totally agree that most 5th freedom routes are dead or dying.
Who knows, the article I had read about MSP/China was from a few years ago maybe the enthusiasm has waned since then.