Prior to the inaugural flight,?Seattle?was the largest West Coast city without nonstop service to Haneda, which is the preferred?Tokyo?airport for many business travelers due to its proximity to the city’s central business district.
“Delta’s Tokyo-Haneda flight and expanded?Seattle?service will significantly benefit regional customers by opening new doors for commerce with?Asia,” said?Bob Cortelyou?, Delta’s senior vice president ? Network Planning. “Our commitment to investing in onboard products and airport facilities, while growing service to markets in?Asia?and?Europe, positions Delta as?Seattle’s premier international airline.”
Seattle-Haneda service adds to Delta’s growing Asian gateway in?Seattle. In addition to?Tokyo, Delta will begin new service to?Shanghai?on?June 16, and also operates flights to?Beijing?and?Osaka, Japan. In addition to its Asian gateway, Delta operates nonstop service to Paris and?Amsterdam?from?Seattle. This summer the airline will operate more than 45 daily flights to 18 destinations worldwide from?Seattle.
The Haneda flight will operate using a Boeing 767-300ER at which time every Delta trans-Pacific flight will feature full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite, as well as Economy Comfort seating and in-flight entertainment in every seat throughout the aircraft. The flight also complements Delta’s nonstop service between?Seattle?and?Tokyo-Narita, which upgrades to a Boeing 747-400 on?June 1.
Delta’s successful international growth in?Seattle?is possible, in part, because of its partnership with Alaska Airlines, which operates a domestic hub at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The new Tokyo-Haneda flight will benefit from easy connections to more than 55 U.S. cities on Delta and?Alaska’s domestic networks.