Delta Will Launch Seattle – Osaka Service In 2019

a white airplane on a runway

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On Wednesday Delta announced that it would be launching a route between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seoul in 2019 thanks to its increasingly close ties with Korean Airlines. Now Delta has announced that 2019 will also see it launch a new service between Seattle and Osaka in conjunction with Korean Air.

Here’s what Delta’s Tony Gonchar had to say:

As Seattle’s global airline, Delta offers service to the top destinations throughout Asia, and additional access to Japan is important for our Seattle customers as well as the business community throughout Washington state and beyond. We’re pleased to offer another key business destination with our new nonstop Osaka service from Seattle

As with the new route to Seoul Delta hasn’t given any indication of the schedule we can expect to see for the Seattle – Osaka route but we have been told what aircraft will be employed.

The Seattle – Osaka route will be operates by Delta’s 767-300ER aircraft equipped with 25 lie-flat Delta One Business Class seats, 29 Delta Comfort+ seats and 171 seats in the main cabin.

a seat in a plane
Delta One Business Class on a 767

Although all cabins will have access to wi-fi, free personal IFE and power ports this service will be a step down from the service to Seoul that was announced on Wednesday.

The Seattle – Osaka route won’t feature the new Delta One Suites and it won’t offer Delta’s new Premium Economy product either.

I’ve reviewed the Delta One Business Class cabin on the 767 and although I found the onboard service to be pretty good I was less enthused about the hard product – there isn’t very much room to stretch out.

If Delta One is priced too high the 35″ of legroom and 18″ of seat width on offer may be a good alternative and, while the 31″ of legroom in Economy Class is cramped, the 18″ of seat width on offer in the rearmost cabin is very good.

Delta Cancels Seattle – Hong Kong Route

Newton’s third law tells us that “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction” and so it is in this instance.

While Delta is starting up a route between Seattle and Osaka next year it is also canceling its Seattle – Hong Kong route from later this year.

a map of the world

Here’s what Delta has had to say:

Delta has made the difficult business decision to cease Seattle-Hong Kong service, with the last flight out of Hong Kong on Oct. 4. Delta will continue to serve Hong Kong from Seattle via Seoul-ICN, with its joint venture partner Korean Air.”

Rather incredibly this means that Delta will offer no service to Hong Kong (out of any airport) on its own aircraft.

American serves Hong Kong from Dallas and Los Angeles, United flys to Hong Kong from San Francisco, Chicago and Newark and Delta appears happy to leave those two airlines to it – I have no idea why.

I guess there’s a chance Delta is planning to start up flights to Hong Kong from another of its hubs but I can’t see those flights working out any better than the one out of Seattle. I guess it’s time to just wait and see what Delta does next.