Originally Posted by
amtrakusa
NH can sub in their domestic 500 seat 777s. of course, it is possible they still have to get some kind of approval to do that. and it is in china's interest to approve that expeditiously if it comes to that.
Not to pile on, but routing through Japan adds, practically speaking, something like six hours to travel time. For coastal cities, that is the difference between arriving at 4p and 10p. Of course all the flights could be retimed, but then we're getting back into the land of 'ifs' and 'buts'.