Here’s something I didn’t necessarily see happening imminently, especially given the particular route…
Delta will return to Hong Kong after eight years
While there hasn’t yet been an official announcement, in the very near future, Delta is expected to announce that it will launch flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and Hong Kong (HKG). This was reported by JonNYC, and we have reason to believe this is 100% accurate, barring any unforeseen last minute changes.
confirmed, DL LAX-HKG
— JonNYC (@xjonnyc.bsky.social) July 12, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Presumably Delta will use an Airbus A350 for the 7,260-mile route. The exact number of frequencies and schedule remains to be seen. Delta pulled out of Hong Kong back in 2018, which the airline described as a “difficult business decision.” At the time, the airline served Hong Kong out of Seattle (SEA), where it has been building up a long haul hub in recent years.
However, Delta’s transpacific network has so heavily been focused on routing everything through Seoul Incheon (ICN), given that Delta has a transpacific joint venture with Korean Air. Delta also has a respectable presence at Tokyo Haneda (HND), but aside from that, service to Asia is very limited.
Los Angeles is a surprising gateway, no?
I can’t help but find it interesting that Delta plans to return to Hong Kong out of Los Angeles, rather than out of Seattle.
For one, United already serves the Los Angeles to Hong Kong market twice daily, in addition to flying to Hong Kong twice daily out of San Francisco (SFO). So Delta’s service to Hong Kong won’t exactly be competitive. Delta’s transpacific service to Asia out of Los Angeles is otherwise limited to Shanghai (PVG) and Tokyo Haneda. The airline operates flights to the South Pacific, but that’s a distinct market.
So I’m not sure what to make of Delta now wanting to resume flights to Hong Kong out of Los Angeles, rather than Seattle, where the carrier has a bigger transpacific network. Is Delta dabbling with the thought of shifting more transpacific capacity out of Seattle and to Los Angeles, or what’s the logic here, exactly? If anything, one would think that Delta would keep building up its Seattle presence at the moment, to beat Alaska to the punch on expansion.
This should get interesting. Clearly this is an area where Delta is trying to catch up with United, and will operate with a significant disadvantage.
Bottom line
In the very near future, Delta is expected to announce a new route between Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Delta pulled out of Hong Kong in 2018, with the route at the time being out of Seattle. Delta has been so heavily focused on its transpacific joint venture with Korean Air, and funneling passengers through Seoul Incheon. This is all super interesting, and I look forward to the official announcement.
What do you make of Delta launching Los Angeles to Hong Kong flights?
