Delta announced Thursday that it will be ending its service to Hong Kong (HKG) on October 4. The airline currently operates just one route to Hong Kong, with six weekly flights from Seattle (SEA) it has been operating since 2014.
“Delta will continue to serve Hong Kong from Seattle via Seoul-ICN, with its joint venture partner Korean Air,” the airline said in a press release.
In its place, Delta is resuming non-stop service between Seattle and Osaka-Kansai (KIX), Japan, starting sometime in 2019. It had ended that route in 2013 citing weak demand, according to FlightGlobal.
The “new” route will be served by one of the airline’s Boeing 767-300ERs — which TPG described as a terrific experience in Delta One (business class).
On Wednesday we learned that Delta will also be launching non-stop service between its Minneapolis (MSP) hub and Seoul-Incheon (ICN) at an unannounced date in 2019. This will be the first direct service between Minneapolis and South Korea. Delta plans to deploy a refurbished Boeing 777-200ER aircraft for this route, featuring the new Delta One suite and Premium Select.
No other carriers fly between Seattle and Hong Kong, but American Airlines and United both offer non-stop service to Hong Kong from several cities in the US.