I suspect DL has mild regrets about not starting SEA-SIN now; it probably would have kept SQ at bay for a while. I suspect they were waiting for some combination of more new Airbus aircraft or the new IAF facility; probably shouldn’t have waited, in retrospect.

The next two years or so are going to be make or break for the new Seattle hub, especially with the local market on a softening path for the first time in a decade. Either the Asian competition eats their lunch and AS finally gets their revenge, or DL manages to make a stand and proves the viability of the connecting hub over the long term.

I, for one, am looking forward to popping some popcorn and taking some cheap trips to Asia, preferably in premium cabins. 🍿

Another SEA-based GM here. I don’t get the feeling that DL is terribly interested in non-hub markets in Asia because of poor yields. Most of the DL adds in the past 2 years have been focused on domestic, particularly with mid/transcon flights. An example is IAD, which started last year and will be going twice daily next summer. Internationally, I’m thinking that they’ll focus on flights where they have partners, and they’ve even called out TATL as having better yields despite European LCCs.

SEA-HND had a bad schedule.

SEA-KIX was last flown in 2013. It’s either their second or third attempt at it, depending on if you count DL’s NW heritage.

At one point in time they flew to other Asian cities from PDX. Only a couple of them are still DL stations, mostly Japanese ones still having HNL nonstops, like KIX.

You do realize that routing to India via SIN is around 20% longer than routing via Europe?

I think folks are wildly overreacting. SIN is quite possibly the worst located hub in Asia for North America, outside of BKK.

Interesting observation on timing. India seems like where the majority of the money will be made on this flight. There’s a huge expat population here, and by and large the folks I’ve talked to prefer Asia to Europe connections. I even know several folks who drive up to YVR to fly CX. The logic is that the onboard service is better, and they prefer a longer main flight followed by a shorter final regional connection.

EK has won some local business with their extensive network into India for similar reasons, but SQ will be able to match a lot of that... If this does shape up to be largely an India battle, that leaves EK as the primary target IMO. DL will still lose lots of SIN O&D business, but it’s possible the timing and geography means SQ won’t impact much connecting traffic to the rest of Asia...

Out of curiosity, I ran some numbers on length. SIN is the longest route to India, but the difference isn’t nearly as bad as some might incorrectly claim, particularly compared to transit via Europe. HKG is actually shorter than AMS, for example...

It’s easy to have misconceptions about geography for routes involving SEA, which has a uniquely convenient location within the continental US for accessing both Europe and Asia...

Nice job cherry-picking tertiary Indian cities. Plug in BOM or DEL and you get 15% and 20% longer. There is no misconception, though your post smacks of misrepresentation.

Folks seem quite unfamiliar with just how badly SQ and CX are struggling.