Originally Posted by
PurdueFlyer
And the cargo will be the first thing that gets whacked when I payload-optimize the release. Literally ZERO chance this route was launched specifically for cargo.
This industry is not a zero-sum game. There can be multiple truths for a given situation.
At the end of the day, despite the various joint ventures across both oceans, there are markets DL still wants to serve with its own metal as well. For whatever combination of reasons (sufficient A350s to finally add the route, better market dynamics than when we last exited HKG, or a customer demographic that wants these types of destinations along with AKL and JNB and CPT offered nonstop) Ed and Glen obviously feel that HKG should be back in the network portfolio at this time. It really isn't anything deeper than that.
I have no additional information as to how big a role Delta Cargo played in the introduction of HKG but I think we can say it’s playing a more important role here than other routes/destinations. As already pointed out above, cargo is specifically mentioned in the press release, whereas it is not mentioned at all in any other route announcements (LAX-BNE/MEL, SLC-ICN, SEA-TPE were the ones I looked at). It could be the case that Delta doesn’t expect to fill up the plane on LAX-HKG often due to the competitive nature of the route and thus believes it should be able to carry full cargo loads on every flight.