koppelman

The August 11, 2008 issue of Aviation Week and Space Technology reports that DL has ordered two more 777Ls.

Any speculation on route implementation? I would love to see JFK-CPT nonstop. Refueling in Dakar is anachronistic in these days of ultra-long haul transport.

koppelman

MegatopLover

Tell that (the underlined bit, underlining mine) to Thai Airways, which just eliminated its BKK-JFK nonstop ultra-long-haul flight and added a primarily refueling stop at KIX to its BKK-LAX route.

Tell that to Singapore, which couldn't make 2-class ultra-long-hauls SIN-EWR and SIN-LAX work financially, so now is trying all-Business Class to improve yields.

The issue isn't technology, it's economics. ULH operations have dramatically diminishing efficiencies once flight times stretch much past 15 hours.

As for DL, good to see them picking up a couple more 77L's.

ATL-HKG! ATL-HKG! ATL-HKG!

AndyTLe

I'm kind of surprised about this. There are only a few routes where the ultra long haul range and capacity of the 777-200LR is needed. Maybe DL will convert these orders to 787 orders once the initial NW 787s come on line. The 787 is almost as capable as the 777-200LR

I like the idea of ATL-HKG too. A new 787 in DL colors would should be used.

g50

Wouldn't the 777LRs be deliveried before any nw 787s came on line?
I think delta wants them.

sxf24

Wasn't there an entire thread discussing the loss of JFK-BOM due to a shortage of aircraft...

AndyTLe

NW is the launch customer for the US. DL's continued "gentleman's agreement" with Boeing, DL could get slotted into an earlier delivery. DL could also pick up a 787 from one of the leasing companies that currently have orders.

firstmob

Question Can 3 777LR's do a ATL-BOM-ATL-HKG-ATL routing on a daily basis?

luvsbucks

Not CPT, but Hauenstein has repeatedly stated that ATL-JNB would eventually go nonstop. These may be the orders to start that ball rolling.

YVR Cockroach

The 345s are considerably payload-restricted and use more fuel compared to 77Ls. Not saying that the 77L will make all routes not financially feasible with the 345 feasible.

RobertS975

OK, are we really sure that this is a new order above and beyond what has already been announced? So far, I cannot find this news elsewhere.

Robert Leach

I love Cape Town and would welcome nonstop service, but there's just not enough traffic, particularly premium yield traffic, to make that route work with a 777 nonstop.

I do think JNB may be in line for nonstop service, but there are these lingering issues about whether the return would be payload restricted because of JNB's high elevation and frequently-warm temperatures.

There is also the question of what happens to the scissor operation at DKR if you put JNB nonstop. Either you have to come up with a different city in Africa to serve from DKR, or you have to eliminate either ATL or JFK from the DKR mix. Perhaps the other candidate will be Nairobi.

My proposal is to operate a routing of ATL-JNB-CPT-ATL. CPT is sea level so I think the 77L would be fine from a payload standpoint, and you can still market the nonstop service to/from South Africa. The JNB-CPT leg is only about two hours during daylight, which to me would be preferable to the middle-of-the-night wakeup in DKR for JNB-originating passengers returning to the U.S.

Robert Leach

How about an around-the-world ATL-BOM-HKG-ATL routing? (And vice versa).

Denolloyd

I'm wondering the same. Aircraft orders generallly hit A.net way before FT. Still no thread there if I'm not mistaken.

I am however, curious as to the routing of these birds. I'd love to see ATL - BKK

AndyTLe

Would DL need "Seventh Freedom" to fly BOM-HKG?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedoms_of_the_air

Robert Leach

Not sure. I think PanAm used to operate the route, but whether that route authority was passed along to anyone or not, and if so, whether it was passed along to the purchaser of the Pacific Routes (UA) or the Atlantic routes (DL), I don't know.

I seem to recall that UA tried an around-the-world thing a few years ago using a BOM-HKG leg, or something similar, so perhaps UA got the route authority from Pan Am.