ATOBTTR

Any idea when we can expect to see the schedule change updates or what the actual flight time will be? Right now flights in February 2017 are still showing the 12:10 AM departure for HND-LAX when booking on DL.com, so it's not reflecting a daytime departure yet. My flight already had a schedule change on the arrival end - initial arrival time when I booked was 6:00 PM, now it's 5:05 PM. It just means a longer layover now (almost 4 hours instead of 3) before continuing on to SEA, but I'm holding off seeing about any schedule change options until I see how the daytime slots work out.

DLERT

Delta's reservation system is viewable and bookable 330 days out * and the schedule subject to change in time and aircraft used at any time.
New routes can be added anytime some with a great deal of fanfare and media attention.
Foreign slots and flights pending government approval are just that pending !

ATOBTTR

Not sure if you were intending to be snarky or not but I'm well aware about schedule changes and such. A schedule change wouldn't bother me - I was just asking when I might actually see it in my reservation so I can plan accordingly with the options available.

Fanjet

Wouldn't Delta have to get all 3 slot pair requests approved in order for ATL-HND to become a reality?

Longboater

DL had three route applications in preference LAX-HND, MSP-HND, ATL-HND. Its up to DOT to award the slots. As I stated earlier in this thread and subsequently got butchered for, MSP-HND as a second preference is nothing but playing politics. DL plans on ditching MSP-NRT due to their claim HND will put enormous pressure on their NRT operation, thus making MSP-NRT a sacrificial lamb, in addition to PDX-NRT. The only reasoning DOT would approve MSP-HND is its possible not a single Midwestern City obtains a HND flight, depending on the actions of NH/JAL. That alone could very well swing DOT over to approving the flight, while awarding AA DFW-HND instead of giving DL ATL-HND. Now if someone in Vegas were to be betting on this....

Fanjet

Do you actually think that the DOT will award Delta three of the five available daytime slot pairs at HND for U.S. carriers? Because I don't. Which would mean that ATL-HND (being given third priority by Delta) would not get approved.

Longboater

Many on this board think they'll get three due to DL's lack of JV with a Japanese carrier. I'm sure they'll get two because of this disadvantage.

FWAAA

The deadline to apply for HND daytime slots for the winter season is May 19, 2016. Don't know how quickly the slots will be assigned but probably by sometime in June or July. That's the earliest you can expect to see DL change the timing of the existing LAX-HND flights. It will probably closely match the existing LAX-NRT schedule, as DL's proposed LAX-HND application (for next summer) uses the same proposed departure and arrival times as the existing NRT schedule.

Next February, the LAX-HND flight will be a daytime flight, but it will be at least several weeks before the precise times are known - that's when DL will reschedule the flight.

Fanjet

Well, let's put it this way:

The DOT has the responsibility of awarding 6 slot pairs to U.S. carriers at HND. 5 are daytime slot pairs; 1 is a nighttime slot pair. Four carriers have applied for the daytime slots. So, giving Delta three of the daytime slot pairs would leave two of the three other airlines one daytime slot pair each; and the thrid no daytime slot pair at all.

As for the lack of a Japanese ATI/JV partner. Delta has basically the same amount of flights to Tokyo from the United States as AA/JL, as well as UA/NH.

But if you think Delta will only get two slot pairs, that means ATL-HND is a no-go. As that is their 3rd ranked priority request.

DL-Don

Sure wish DL would actually take some of their 787s from Boeing for these Haneda routes. Enjoyed one last night on KLM DEL-AMS and I must say the passenger experience is superb. Higher pressurization and elevated humidity made the flight much more enjoyable. Those birds would do a good job with the O&D loads to Haneda from LAX/MSP/ATL.

ashill

The DOT doesn't have to award slots in the airlines' order of preference. I very much expect that either AA or DL will not get their first choice (since both asked for LAX first) and will get their second or third choice (DFW for AA, MSP or ATL for DL). Now, if the DOT is giving DL one of their second and third choices, they'll probably choose the second choice (MSP) since neither overlap with another airline's proposal, but they could decide that ATL is more in the public interest and award that over MSP. (I actually think that MSP is better for the public interest because neither ATL nor MSP have much in the way of local traffic, so both are mostly about connections. Due to geography, MSP provides more efficient connections than ATL, as I and others stated up thread.)

EZE

A bit surprised that they didn't apply for JFK.

Best guess for HND would be:
Ana + UA
Ana - JFK, ORD, LAX (+night HNL)
UA - SFO (I assume only one given that ANA apparently gets 4!)

AA + JAL
JAL - JFK, ORD
AA - Lax, DFW

DL - LAX, MSP OR ATL

HA - night HNL

I could also see DL getting three via either giving night slot to UA for SFO which is better able to handle night slot or taking the AA DFW slot. Both would result in a more equitable division of slots when looking at it on a JV basis (i.e. Daytime would be 4-3-3 instead of 4-4-2). Will be interesting to see!

FWAAA

The only airline that applied for the nighttime frequency was HA, so there's no chance that UA ends up with it. HA will get the night frequency, so the only open question with respect to HA is whether the DOT also gives it a daytime frequency. My guess is that the answer to that is "negative."

That leaves AA, DL and UA arguing over five daytime frequencies. Someone's going to be disappointed.

skyrider117

Us the passengers.....

MSPeconomist

....whether DL gets its way on this or not.