Originally Posted by
PurdueFlyer
IIRC this was part of a larger network decision to re-focus 777 TPAC flying in LAX (where there is still a 777 pilot base). LAX-SYD / PVG / HND / CDG are all flown with the 777 now, and the A350s are retreating to SEA / MSP / DTW / ATL.
Before the A350 arrived, MSP had been operating NRT with the 777 (and of course much earlier with the 747, RIP), with the 777 also appearing on AMS and CDG during high season.
Last summer MSP had suites on the HND, ICN, and CDG nonstop routes and now for winter it's the A350 to ICN (in rotation with the LAX-ICN route) and 777 to HND, both of which tend to park overnight at MSP and do quick turns in Asia, as one would expect. MSP also has the A330 on some TATL flights and uses the 767 to LHR as well as other (primarily AMS) routes at times that need less capacity.
I'm surprised that DL uses such a variety of wide bodied aricraft at MSP. On these international routes, the crew are almost always all MSP based.