Originally Posted by
PilotFrog
Seems Ma Delta wants us to help them get out of another jam. Anyone else see the request to get the DOT to allow us to fly Seattle-Haneda instead of DTW? Course it'll be on the 767 too not the 747.
Let's set this one up.
DTW HND is losing a ton of money
We have no connecting ability out of HND AMR and UAL have JAL and ANA. Respectively.
The Japanese government wants two ANA and two JAL slots moved from NRT to HND to push all of the US bound flights out of HND leaving us at NRT two hours out of the city center
The requisite quid is moving all of our 315 weekly NRT slots to HND. The Japanese do not want that, one for space in HND and two because it does not marganize our fifth freedom rights.
By pulling a flight out of HND unilaterally it hurts the argument for the overall demand which is our flying out of HND if they agree to move the Japanese slots.
In the end if you do not want to look at this broader issue look at it this way. Move the slot or suspend the service because DTW HND is losing its shirt. Support keeps the pilot block hrs and the route. The quid is keeping the flying not a promise of growth.
The Japanese issue is a big one and a strategic loss with the slot conflict would mean jobs and some of the most sought after flying from this pilot group.