Originally Posted by
ChamplinAl
Still seeing NRT in Delta's "book-a-flight" online screens into 2020 June flight combinations and no HND showing as of Sunday (8-11-2019). When should we expect Delta to show the new HND flights? Is the delay because of flight times (arrivals / departures) have not been locked down yet? .....and do we know yet if Delta will still use a B767-300ER on the NEW ICN-MNL leg? By the time this leg is active: a 339 will be arriving from SEA, a 772 will be arriving from MSP, a 359 will be arriving from both DTW and ATL. Will a switch to PDX-ICN (a A332 flight) be used instead of PDX-HND (a A332 flight) to then extend the ICN-MNL as a A332 leg? This change also gives Delta an open slot to add the 2nd HNL-HND flight (which was asked for and was not awarded). Just a thought.
Lots to unpack here. I suspect:
- HND flights will not be filed until Delta receives slot assignments from the Japanese authorities; otherwise, too many connecting flight rebookings would need to happen. Better to wait until they have some certainty and redo the bookings only once. Delta only just got the formal authority to apply, so I expect another couple weeks here.
- On ICN-MNL I expect the aircraft will be one of the other aircraft operating US-ICN; part of why MNL is feasible is that it can be flown in only a few hours each way. So I think it's safe to say this flight will be a different aircraft type (probably some A330 variant).
- PDX-HND is definitely happening because Delta got the slot authority. No announcement has been made about PDX-ICN, but it's a pretty reasonable guess for future expansion down the line. Probably not an immediate thing until HND finds its footing, though.
- PDX-HND can't switch to HNL-HND; the authority is specific to each route, and if they give up a route it goes back up for public rebid at the USDOT.