United Airlines Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Nocella, has slammed its close competitor Delta Air Lines on its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) route, suggesting that Delta, which only started flying the route last month, is unable to fill its planes.
United has operated the route to Hong Kong for some time, and Delta in June decided to join the mix; however, as shared at an employee earnings event, Nocella has suggested that Delta’s current pricing on the route reflects that the airline is struggling to fill its aircraft on the route, with a yield of 7% across an 8% capacity increase as suggested in a recent earnings call.
United Claims Delta is Unable To Fill Hong Kong Flights
United flies its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the route to Hong Kong, while Delta deploys the Airbus A350-900. What supports United’s operations to Hong Kong is the onward tags of services to both Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) and Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Ho Chi Minh City) (SGN), while Delta’s services terminate in Hong Kong, unless travelers are partnering on codeshare or interline partners for onward travel.
The Delta service, which operates daily, provides around 8,525 seats (for August) in each direction, and goes head to head with United’s double-daily operation and Cathay Pacific ( oneworld), which service the route thrice daily. As reported by aviation insider JonNYC on X, the United COO has claimed:
“The [UA] LA-HKG route is quite successful now as a result of [the BKK/SGN tags]. We face new competition now from another airline based in ATL, and I know they’re not going to do very well there. I can already tell from their pricing. They’re unable to fill up their airplanes.”
Delta shared that in the second quarter its overall cargo operating revenue surpassed $294 million, as a result of higher shipping volumes. The route to Hong Kong is an important corridor in this sector, as it connects the US gateway with high-value goods including electronics, e-commerce and pharmaceuticals.
However, this is not enough for the airline to survive, and the figures below outline both UA and DL’s current yield and capacity increase, reflecting how both airlines are performing on the route:
While United may be more fruitful on the Hong Kong route, Delta remains the largest global carrier at Los Angeles, with more than 160 peak-day departures to 61 destinations. Hong Kong is one of several new international services that the airline has started this year, with other additions including Melbourne Airport (MEL), Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Manila (MNL) – with the latter commencing in March 2027.
Delta has launched a new daily Airbus A350-900 service between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, returning to the market after an eight-year absence.
Delta resumed its operations to Hong Kong from Los Angeles on June 6, marking the carrier’s return to the route after a several-year absence. The airline operates the route year-round with a once-daily service, and this marks Delta’s only route to Hong Kong.
United, on the other hand, serves Hong Kong from Los Angeles and San Francisco, with both routes operated twice daily. From Hong Kong, United also maintains onward tags to Thailand (Bangkok) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City); these are operated under fifth-freedom rights, permitting the airline to continue onward travel on a flight that starts or ends in the United States (i.e., from Los Angeles or San Francisco).
While United has welcomed competition on the route to Hong Kong, the airline’s COO and CEO, for that matter, has predicted that DL will lose money on the route, due to market saturation with the current UA and CX services.
United already holds a strong trans-Pacific network advantage, while DL claims that this route is a vital gateway in its long-haul international expansion at Los Angeles International Airport. Given Delta’s relatively recent resumption on the route, it may take some time for loads to improve to truly understand who is the winner when it comes to Hong Kong.
Orijinal Haberi Görüntüle
