AA service to NRT with 777, silver beauties they are too. LAX( starts in April)and JFK the most important cities on each coast. SJC , a little extra, DFW & ORD: two huge hubs and the biggest market between the coasts. Didn't NW Stop its own ORD- NRT service, a few years back?
NW has a strong legacy in Japan and Asia, it should be proud of its history. But the future is not hubbing in Japan but flying from the US NONSTOP to ASIA. UA, with a large NRT hub strikes a nice balance, by hubbing but also overfyong Japan to HKG and other important centers. FROM its DTW hub NW flies to NRT, KIX and Nagoya, not HKG or PEK, as they once did. NW doesn't have a strong west coast gateway like UA at SFO. LAX use to be NW big California airport but they cut way back. NW at various times has gone to SYD, KIX, TPE and NRT( today only NRT). NW needs to buy 777LR or A340-500 to reach deep Asia. I'm talking 18 hour flights, The goal should be to have nonstop USA to each major city in cluding Bangkok and Singapore. Tokyo will still be huge but all flights to NRT should be with Tokyo only traffic. DTW with its upper midwest position is perfect for a new era of longer haul flights to all of Asia.
We finally live in an age with planes to reach the ends of the earth without stopping, Soon we will see flights from JFK, ORD and California reaching places they never did before. Imagime Qantas fron JFK to SYD nonstop, THai from Lax to BKK or JFK to BKK, & Virgin Atlantic from LHR to SYD ( sorry BA).