Delta Air Lines Relaunches Minneapolis Tokyo Flights With The Airbus A330neo
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After a three-year pause, Delta Air Lines and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) celebrated over the weekend by resuming its Tokyo Haneda (HND) connection on Saturday 25th.
The connection joins five other Delta flights that now operate to Tokyo Haneda, with two more expected to join the list this year, as noted further in this article. With the Minneapolis / Saint Paul region seeing 17,000 passengers travel directly between MSP and Japan annually, Brian Ryks, CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates MSP release this statement:
“Tokyo is one of MSP’s legacy international destinations, with service that goes back decades.
“We’re thrilled Delta is bringing back these daily flights to continue to meet the strong passenger and business demand between the upper Midwest and Japan.”
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Connecting MSP to Japan
As reported by Delta, approximately 17,000 passengers are looking to travel between MSP and Tokyo annually, meaning the city remains a popular destination for leisure and business travelers. The resumption of its Haneda service will complement the current service to Seoul Incheon (ICN). Delta's Vice President of MSP Airport Operations, Mary Loeffelholz, released this statement in the airline's statement:
“Delta is the only carrier to provide nonstop service to Asia from MSP, and restarting service to one of Asia’s most iconic cities, Tokyo, only builds on our commitment to give Minnesotans access to the destinations they want to travel to most.”
Delta will operate its Airbus A330neo aircraft on the route, with 281 seats across its cabin. Offering Delta One Suites, Premium Select, Comfort+, and regular economy. The carrier will operate the below schedule:
- DL121, departing Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) at 11:05, arriving at Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND) at 14:20. Flight time of 13 hours and 15 minutes.
- DL120, departing Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND) at 16:20, arriving at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) at 14:00. Flight time of 11 hours and 40 mins.
Delta's loyalty at MSP
Delta remains MSP’s most prominent global airline and operates up to 290 flights per day to over 115 destinations this March. The Skyteam carrier connects MSP destinations to three European destinations (Amsterdam, Paris, and London) and a range of Mexican and Caribbean destinations on offer.
Canada isn't forgotten at Minneapolis St. Paul either, operating to five Canadian gateways, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto, with overall operations from MSP now sitting at 90% of pre-pandemic operations.
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Well connected at Tokyo Haneda
2023 looks to be Tokyo Haneda's year with Delta, with up to seven gateways to be in operation by the end of the year. The Skyteam carriers operations to Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle/Tacoma flights will be complemented by Honolulu from October 29th and Portland, Oregon, from November 1st
Delta will provide more connections to the United States than any other carrier from Haneda. United Airlines operates in five ports (Chicago, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles), while American Airlines connects to two (Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles).
What do you think about Delta's returning service from Minnesta-St Paul to Tokyo Haneda? Let us know in the comments.
