Major US airlines are starting to rebuild route networks after cutting over 90% of international flights in the early months of the current crisis. The big three US airlines, American, Delta, and United, are all flying to Asia. Hawaiian Airlines plans to rejoin these airlines in reinstating Asia flights next month. Here’s where US airlines are flying to Asia.
American Airlines
Currently, American Airlines is flying between Dallas (DFW) and Tokyo-Narita (NRT). From next month, the airline plans to grow its operations to add flights between Dallas and Haneda (HND), Dallas and Hong Kong (HKG), and Dallas and Seoul (ICN). In addition, the carrier is also looking at reinstating flights between Los Angeles and Haneda.
As for its China flights, American does not plan on reinstating those operations until late this fall. Another of AA’s connections between Asia and the United States, LAX to HKG, is not scheduled to resume until late this fall as well. All of this flying is on Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft.
Delta Air Lines
Delta was the first US airline to reinstate services to China via a stop in Seoul. From July, the airline will operate one flight a week to Shanghai (PVG) via ICN out of Detroit (DTW) and one flight a week from Seattle (SEA) to PVG via ICN. Beyond that, the carrier is currently continuing to fly from Detroit and Seattle to Seoul-Incheon. Meanwhile, the airline has also maintained some flights between Seattle and Haneda.
Additional flights coming next month include flights between Atlanta (ATL) and ICN and DTW to HND. Most of Delta’s Asia flying is scheduled onboard the carrier’s Airbus A350 aircraft.
United Airlines
Out of San Francisco, the airline’s primary transpacific gateway, United is reinstated several flights to East Asia. United is the other US carrier that announced a resumption of flights to China. From July 8th, the airline will fly a Boeing 777-300ER from San Francisco (SFO) to Shanghai via a Stop in Seoul twice a week.
During July, United will also operate flights between Chicago (ORD) and HND. Service to Seoul is also scheduled out of San Francisco. Additional services include the return of United’s flights to Singapore via a stop in Hong Kong. United is also flying from Newark and Guam to Tokyo-Narita (NRT).
Flights to Delhi not scheduled to recommence until late July, which is the Indian government’s current timeline for allowing international flights. Much of United’s other flights are expected to commence either late this summer or else in the fall. Out of the big three US airlines, United had one of the most extensive footprints in East Asia.
Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian is not currently flying to Asia. Although, the airline hopes to. The airline pulled out of China in 2018 with promises to return– although those planes will likely be pushed out a couple of years.
From late-July, Hawaiian expects to reopen its flights to Tokyo (HND and NRT), Osaka (KIX), Fukuoka (FUK), and Sapporo-Chitose (CTS). Also, the airline will reopen flights between Honolulu and Seoul to round out its Asian flight network.
Much of this could change
Many had hoped that international travel restrictions would start to open up by the summer. However, with the public health crisis continuing to unfold in the United States and around the world, most countries have kept their borders shut to US citizens, limiting possibilities.
Much of the current flying between the United States and Asia is being driven either by cargo, essential business routes, or else partnerships where airlines can leverage connections and try to connect passengers where they need to go.
Amidst the international downturn, these airlines did maintain flights to Asia– although on a cargo-only basis. Now, for the first time in months, some of these routes will see passengers on them again. How many passengers, however, remains to be seen.
