Whereas it has been rumored for just a few days, Delta Air Strains will formally begin service to Hong Kong subsequent yr.
The airline introduced Wednesday that it will begin flying from its hub at Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX) to Hong Kong Worldwide Airport (HKG) on June 6, 2026. Delta will deploy its flagship Airbus A350-900 on the brand new 7,260-mile route. The plane is configured with 40 Delta One Suites, 40 Premium Choose recliners, 36 Consolation+ extra-legroom seats and 159 customary financial system seats.
Delta will supply 30 one-stop connection choices for vacationers from throughout North America seeking to get to and from Hong Kong.
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Curiously, this is not Delta’s first foray into Hong Kong. The airline final served the market in 2018 with nonstop service from Seattle, nevertheless it pulled out on the time on account of weak demand and different elements.
Whereas the airline has been busy in recent times rising its transpacific connectivity from Seattle, Hong Kong service will return from Los Angeles. That is an fascinating transfer, particularly since United Airways and hometown provider Cathay Pacific already supply loads of flights between the 2 cities. (In the meantime, Seattle to Hong Kong is at present unserved, and it is potential that Alaska Airways has town on its enlargement record.)
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Maybe Delta thinks there’s merely not sufficient nonstop demand from Seattle to Hong Kong to make that nonstop route work. After all, Delta additionally operates a giant hub at LAX, however so do the three different largest U.S. airways. It is a lot tougher to be the No. 1 airline in Los Angeles than it’s in Seattle.
Along with its long-haul enlargement, Delta will add a home route it is by no means operated earlier than: LAX to Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport (ORD). Three every day flights on this route will start June 7, 2026; the service may have some critical competitors with flights operated by American Airways and United, in addition to discounters Frontier Airways and Spirit Airways.
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Chicago and LA are each hubs for American and United, so including Delta to the combo won’t solely give vacationers extra choices, nevertheless it may additionally put extra stress on the struggling ultra-low-cost carriers that fly the route.
With extra service by community carriers, ultra-low-cost discounters have struggled not too long ago to fill their planes with out considerably discounting their tickets. Rising prices and redesigned enterprise fashions may make it tougher than ever for Frontier and Spirit to outlive within the LA-Chicago market.
“Launching service to Hong Kong and Chicago from LAX strengthens our presence in two of the world’s most dynamic markets. As the most important world provider at LAX, we’re persevering with to put money into routes that matter to our prospects and ship the premium journey expertise that they’ve come to anticipate from Delta,” Paul Baldoni, Delta’s senior vice chairman of community planning, mentioned in an announcement.
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