Kev3188
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PDX-NRT service was supposed to be announced today....Anyone heard/seen anything?
New Narita Service?
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Blackdog
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That's the big rumor but they haven't announced anything about it yet. We're getting closer all the time to a total link-up with DL. I was out in PDX recently and all the agents and station workers believe this to be the next service to NRT we will fly, then eventually ATL-NRT. One can only hope!
Kev3188
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Blackdog,
Apparently a deal between NW and the Port of Portland was "inked" on X-mas eve, with an announcement to be made today. I haven't seen anything in print or on the net, so I guess it's still just hypothetical. :unsure: I've also heard rumors of more closely linking w/DL. FWIW, if NRT does come to fruition, NW will move all of it's PDX operation over to the D concourse, next to DL and CO, and most likely would convert the currently closed Crown Room into a WorldClub. Not sure how much O & D traffic PDX would provide (after all, DL stopped their service a few years back), but the freight tonnage should be pretty healthy.
Apparently a deal between NW and the Port of Portland was "inked" on X-mas eve, with an announcement to be made today. I haven't seen anything in print or on the net, so I guess it's still just hypothetical. :unsure: I've also heard rumors of more closely linking w/DL. FWIW, if NRT does come to fruition, NW will move all of it's PDX operation over to the D concourse, next to DL and CO, and most likely would convert the currently closed Crown Room into a WorldClub. Not sure how much O & D traffic PDX would provide (after all, DL stopped their service a few years back), but the freight tonnage should be pretty healthy.
PDX-NRT service would be great for Portland. It deserves service gone since DAL left town. But NW flying ATL-NRT, The day DAL flies all NW flights to Amsterdam. DAL likes service to NRT with 777, it just moved these planes over for the route. NW is over reliant on the NRT hub for its ASia service, it has done nothing to have nonstop service to Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul or Peking. I know in the past they did operate some service like DTW-PEK, with today's airplanes ever increasing range where are NW A340-500 or 777LR'S ? If they want to be the "leading us airline to Asia" they have to overfly Tokyo and have more point to point service. Tokyo hubbing should only be for Bangkok and Singapore, places beyond US range. Where is NW's nonstop service from HKG to DTW or MSP? I see a bright pacififc future for AA, got to love those 777-200ER's.
Kev3188
Veteran
JFK 777--
The PDX business community has been clammoring for the return of NRT service for awhile. In fact, it was the Port of Portland who approached NW with a package to try and entice them to start (waiving of landing fees, no tax on fuel, free gate use, etc.). The only real problem would be the logistics involved with getting feed traffic from AS and QX to/from the D concourse. Still haven't heard an official announcement as of this writing....
As far as NW doing ATL-NRT, I'd have to agree with you-not going to happen anytime soon! NW is doing some "point-to-point" intra-Asian service currently, using 757's, and DTW-KIX is still running, as is DTW-NGO. I think HKG would be a good route to run from the west coast (SFO comes to mind)when the new extended range A330's begin arriving.
The PDX business community has been clammoring for the return of NRT service for awhile. In fact, it was the Port of Portland who approached NW with a package to try and entice them to start (waiving of landing fees, no tax on fuel, free gate use, etc.). The only real problem would be the logistics involved with getting feed traffic from AS and QX to/from the D concourse. Still haven't heard an official announcement as of this writing....
As far as NW doing ATL-NRT, I'd have to agree with you-not going to happen anytime soon! NW is doing some "point-to-point" intra-Asian service currently, using 757's, and DTW-KIX is still running, as is DTW-NGO. I think HKG would be a good route to run from the west coast (SFO comes to mind)when the new extended range A330's begin arriving.
Blackdog
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I admit that NW taking over DL's ATL-NRT may be a ways off but if you think about it, NRT is DL's only presence in Asia and it must cost a lot to keep staff and equipment in such a far off location that is so far removed from all their other stations around the world. We of course are the dominant US carrier in TYO and its all about cost management. We have the feed and the staff, so logistically it makes sense in pure dollar terms. Anyway they aren't able to always go nonstop with a full load or full cargo on their 777s, only the 400 has the capabilities on the ATL-NRT route.
Kev3188
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Blackdog-
Good point about DL's lone flight/logistic support in TYO. I just can't imagine them wanting to give up such a route (although they certainly have given up on more than a few to the orient). I suppose we'll have to wait and see what kind of results come from this tie-up with NW. I would think that ATL-AMS would go to the Red Tail first (for the same reasons you've mentioned), but anything's possible.
Good point about DL's lone flight/logistic support in TYO. I just can't imagine them wanting to give up such a route (although they certainly have given up on more than a few to the orient). I suppose we'll have to wait and see what kind of results come from this tie-up with NW. I would think that ATL-AMS would go to the Red Tail first (for the same reasons you've mentioned), but anything's possible.
Blackdog
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Kev3188
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That's good news. Especially for all the displaced PDX employees! Hopefully, it will succeed where DL's service didn't.
Blackdog,
Delta flies out of terminal 2 not T1 like AA, UA and NW. They are handled by Jal or ANA, I don't know which, but your thing about all the infrastructure DAL has at NRT is done any where in the world a foreign airline has one daily flight.
Sure Delta has some people in NRT, but if they left NRT they would still have a sales office in Tokyo. I think DAL's surrender of JFK and LAX to NRT was a bad call after 9/11. AA took up the routes with shiny silver 777. Landing Rights for Flights from the biggest cities on either coast to Japan don't come along every day, DAL's thinking has always been reactionary not proactionary. That's why they don't fly to LHR. They gave up 40% OF THE European Market, the UK, by not buying when those two properties( TWA and Pan am'S rights to LHR) were for sale. Having no JFK-LHR service is a real handicap for DAL in the NYC market. Poor Delta will have to settle for a few 757's from ATL to South America for its international expansion, ATL- BOG makes tons of money but its a limited market.
Delta flies out of terminal 2 not T1 like AA, UA and NW. They are handled by Jal or ANA, I don't know which, but your thing about all the infrastructure DAL has at NRT is done any where in the world a foreign airline has one daily flight.
Sure Delta has some people in NRT, but if they left NRT they would still have a sales office in Tokyo. I think DAL's surrender of JFK and LAX to NRT was a bad call after 9/11. AA took up the routes with shiny silver 777. Landing Rights for Flights from the biggest cities on either coast to Japan don't come along every day, DAL's thinking has always been reactionary not proactionary. That's why they don't fly to LHR. They gave up 40% OF THE European Market, the UK, by not buying when those two properties( TWA and Pan am'S rights to LHR) were for sale. Having no JFK-LHR service is a real handicap for DAL in the NYC market. Poor Delta will have to settle for a few 757's from ATL to South America for its international expansion, ATL- BOG makes tons of money but its a limited market.
PDX has been clamoring for more international service for a while... They recently won Lufthansa service to FRA, which is now operating. I suspect the same group of people who made this happened, used it as a stepping stone to secure PDX-NRT... Given NW's USA HQ and NRT hub, they were the natural choice. UAL is probably too busy frying bigger fish to have entertained whatever presentations PDX wanted to make (although PDX-NRT would also fit nicely into their system and the Star Alliance).
Kev3188
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You're correct; the same business/travel consortium that wooed MX & LH to PDX sold NW on the NRT service. They had originally approached some Asian carriers for this (thinking that no US flag carrier would want it), but after being turned down, decided to try the Red Tail. FWIW, LH is now operating, I believe, 4 days a week-down from daily service. As I said in an earlier post, I'm not sure how the passenger traffic will be (hopefully between DL,CO, AS & QX we'll have some good feeder traffic?), but freight loads should be quite healthy. As it is now, there is a daily truck running from PDX-SEA to feed the Orient flights, as well as the freighter service.
