Delta Air Lines is quietly getting ready to take on United Airlines and Cathay Pacific in the Los Angeles–Hong Kong market.
Delta Air Lines Plans Los Angeles – Hong Kong Route
Delta Air Lines will resume service to Hong Kong (HKG) with a nonstop flight from Los Angeles (LAX), according to JonNYC:
While the official schedule is not yet published, the flight is expected to begin this winter.
Competitive Landscape: United and Cathay Pacific
- United Airlines already operates two daily LAX–HKG flights and has some Star Alliance connectivity, but no major connecting partner
- Cathay Pacific runs three daily services on A350 and 777 jets, with extensive reach across China and Southeast Asia
- Delta currently lacks any major partner in Hong Kong
Why LAX Instead Of Seattle?
Hong Kong business travel is still recovering from the pandemic, and Cathay Pacific and United are already filling seats. It’s not surprising that Delta wants to return to Hong Kong.
But I am scratching my head as to why Delta chose Los Angeles, when there are already five nonstops per day, rather than its Seattle hub, which currently offers no nonstop service. Is there enough demand from Seattle, a route that would serve the dual purpose of allowing Delta to charge a nonstop revenue premium and also edge out Alaska Airlines?
Obviously, route planners churned numbers and saw that local and US connecting traffic from Los Angeles represented the greater opportunity. Will Delta be able to fill up planes (especially in the Delta One premium cabin) or will this route struggle like its Los Angeles – London route did? (Delta eventually ceded that route to its joint venture partner, Virgin Atlantic) Could Delta be looking at further transpacific expansion from Los Angeles from its beautiful new terminals?
This is not a new route for Delta. Delta last flew LAX-HKG decades ago and flew it for many years, once via Anchorage (ATL) using a Lockheed L1011 aircraft.
I don’t foreclose the possibility that the LAX-HKG pie is big for Delta too, but LAX is a notoriously difficult market and I’m still surprised Delta chose LAX over SEA.
CONCLUSION
Delta’s move is bold and signals a serious intent to re-engage with the Asia market and challenge United and Cathay Pacific. We’ll wait for the schedule (might Delta launch a Fifth Freedom route from Hong Kong to maximize transpacific flight timing?) and see if this move is the first of more transpacific additions from LAX.
Do you expect Delta’s LAX-HKG flight will succeed?
“Delta last flew LAX-HKG eight years ago and flew it for many years” ??? Are you copying from Al without any kind of fact check ??? Delta actually ended this route 30 years ago back in November 1995 (it started May 1991, so it only survived for 4 years, major reason is because of MD11, it’s range is limited and must block seats for crew as well as lighten the load unlike CX and UA were already using 744 back then), from 1995 delta has no presence in HKG until after the merger in 2010 started DTW-HKG !!!
And it seems AI decided Anchorage was actually ATL. LOL.
I think it is just a honest mistake! Matthew possibly meant the SEA-HKG route, which ended on 2018.
Seeing Delta bringing back LAX-HKG makes me go down the memory lane.
I still remembered being onboard those L1011-500 from Hong Kong to Los Angeles via Anchorage. I remember asking my parents to book me on these Delta flights, even when they flew only Asian carriers back in the days.
I still had the paper menu for those flights and yes they had printed menus in economy class back in the days, even on the Anchorage to LAX segment.
Then I flew their nonstop between Hong Kong and Los Angeles and my dad actually put me in first class on one of the directions (HKG-LAX), as Delta was running plenty of promotions with travel agents including a roundtrip business class ticket with a free upgrade to first class on one of the directions. Sadly I did not remember much about that flight, except a night time departure from Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport.
One of my family members were a travel agent and he brought me plenty of Delta brochures about their Asian flights especially the attempt to use Portland PDX as a hub, and then the move from L1011-500 one stop flight to MD-11 nonstop. Delta really tried hard to make Hong Kong work.
Let see how 2025/26 will work. It is nice to have a real competition and Delta’s premium product is definitely more competitive than United. Delta One Suite will be competitive even compared with Cathay Pacific’s Aria. Delta catering and service are actually not too bad. I wonder if Cathay will feel pressure to move those Aria Suite 777s to the LAX flights now. Back then, they do a late afternoon departure from Seattle with evening arrival into Hong Kong, and then a late morning departure from HKG with a morning arrival into Seattle. I presume Delta will go with that schedule so they can maximize the connection opportunities.
Hong Kong Airport is having all these promo (lowering various type of fees) to attract airlines to start flights or new routes to Hong Kong, so Delta definitely takes advantage of it if this route goes through. Plus if Alaska will eventually start Seattle to Hong Kong, they can easily add a second flight or move that LAX to HKG to SEA to HKG quickly. But I honestly don’t see Alaska trying a third Asian destination soon. Alaska needs to fix their onboard products before they can make these Asian routes work.
@ORDnHKG: No, I didn’t use AI. Far too many grammar/spelling errors…
Finally! The people of Hong Kong finally get a premium airline in their market. The Pier, the Wing, the Cabanas? Gross! Give me the SkyTeam lounge and a 767 any day of the week. It’s just a shame they’ll have to connect in LAX and not in ATL, DTW, or SLC.
The “premium airline” serving HKG is SQ .
The people of Hong Kong flying away aren’t the issue. It’s the Americans going there to F kids.
Truly a tragedy that it continues to happen and the government there, and here, turns a blind eye toward it.
Any person traveling there from America should be tracked 100% of the time.
Don’t like it? Don’t go to a country where it’s permitted. Just like most SE Asian sh#tholes. I’ll bet it doesn’t happen in North Korea.
You voted for the guy that buried the epstein files.
But which one will distribute magazines on where best to find kids to F?
Granted it’s less than 5% of visitors (less than 20% of your readers) but it might give them a competitive advantage over one another.
Yea, I know, your readers go there for “business” and tourism, lol.
It’s too bad the guys you voted for don’t have epstein island anymore. Now they have to go to Hong kong.
On that we agree. It’s definitely “famous” people and politicians from both parties that went to Little Saint John and Trump is hiding it. At least Epstein is dead, no matte4 how he died.
But doesn’t take away from the fact that many of the people traveling to SE Asia go there to F kids. And those who don’t condone it by visiting there. While asking the girls with a wink if they are 18. Pathetic.
Hope Delta fails. They’re like deer ticks, sucking the maximum amount of life blood from our veins if we let them. Let them and their AI pricing nonsense fade away
“This is not a new route for Delta. Delta last flew LAX-HKG eight years ago and flew it for many years, once via Anchorage (ATL) using a Lockheed L1011 aircraft.”
Yeah, back this one up, Matthew. I can’t find it.
Delta flew SEA-HKG 14-18 and failed at it long before the pandemic. But I don’t know the last time they flew LAX-HKG? If ever?
Even the title. Are you just trying to get comments via Tim Dunn? I don’t normally succumb to his normal “I bring clicks” but your title seems like that’s what you want.
Been a a longtime reader and the increase in AI generated/assisted content is getting really disappointing. Whether it’s incorrect information, articles that look straight out of ChatGPT or cringey AI generated thumbnail photos, it’s really glaring. Not sure if y’all are getting overwhelmed by the pressure to create content or if you thinks we can’t tell.
Point #1, with UA having flights to BKK and SGN from HKG starting this fall, I’m wondering if that gives UA an advantage.
Point #2, I agree that it’s easier to make money when there is no competition, like SEA.
Those new UAL flight times are horrific for anyone connecting from the mid part of the county. It requires a red eye out of LAX to get home. Better off with Delta via ICN or ANA via TYO to get you home before midnight.
DL carries the most corporate traffic of any US airline. If they are going to take on UA and CX, they must have the corporate customers lined up to make it work.
and DL did fly LAX-HKG first on the L1011 with a planned stop in ANC and then on the MD-11 that was supposed to be able to make the flight nonstop but often still made a fuel stop. This would be DL’s first attempt at flying LAX-HKG on an aircraft that should be fully capable of making the route and also carrying significant amounts of cargo.
and DL is the largest domestic carrier at LAX. If there are connections that can help make this flight work, DL has the best chance of serving those markets and may add even more domestic flights to help support this flight.
While LAX-HKG is much larger O/D market, Delta will enjoy no competition on SEA-HKG market and a route which even legacy A330 could do the job.
HK based traveller’s will likely stick to Cathay Pacific, which has 2 to 3 daily.
UAL enjoyed 2 years advantage in LA local market, double daily flights, and connection to SGN or BKK.
It will be a challenge for Delta to make money on LAX-HKG route.
“ This is not a new route for Delta. Delta last flew LAX-HKG decades ago and flew it for many years, once via Anchorage (ATL) using a Lockheed L1011 aircraft.”
Still not updates.
This is one damn reckless blogger.
What are you barking about? This is correct.