Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
I suspect that DL can fill (at prices that are good for DL in terms or profit) either MSP-HNL or DTW-HNL on a nice big plane, but not both, and it might be too complicated to alternate days.
Hence why it used to alternate. When HNL-DTW was on, most of the time it was alternating with MSP-HNL. 2 or 3 days a week DTW-HNL, other 5 or 4 days a week MSP-HNL. Same aircraft.
Now HNL-ATL and MSP-ATL always switch aircrafts in HNL (ATL inbound goes out to MSP and vice versa, that is how it works every day). If HNL-MSP, that has been year round for ages (a decade+) goes, given how packed full it has been on 747 earlier, then A330, now even more so on the tiny 767 (good luck booking a J seat), then DL must be doing really badly that it can't profitably fill the plane anymore, or can't control its expenses. AA, in the meanwhile, is adding more 777 and 787 lie-flat service to ORD and 3x daily to DTW now. Pretty much if you want a better flying experience, then have to go with UA (EWR, IAD) or AA (ORD, DTW), who keep adding more flights, vs. shrinking, as DL has been doing for the last several years all around. Well or HA via JFK or BOS, but then has to be JetBlue for the connection to be on a single ticket.