Delta Air Lines has announced that it will be cutting capacity to Japan. This comes as the coronavirus continues to spread across East Asia and governments urge passengers to reconsider travel. These suspensions will run through April 30th.

Delta Airbus A350
Airlines are looking to add new, profitable routes to their networks as flying picks up again. Photo: Airbus.

Delta is cutting Japan flights

From March 7th, Delta will reduce select frequencies to Japan through April 30th as the carrier announced. Below are the affected flights:

  • Portland to Tokyo will reduce to three-weekly services
  • Atlanta to Tokyo will reduce to five-weekly services
  • Minneapolis to Tokyo will reduce to five-weekly services
  • Detroit to Nagoya will reduce to three-weekly services
  • Honolulu to Nagoya will reduce to three-weekly services
  • Honolulu to Osaka will reduce to three-weekly services

In addition, seasonal summer service between Seattle and Osaka will be suspended in summer 2020. The service, however, will return in summer 2021.

Delta Getty
Historically, Delta flew seasonally to leisure destinations in Europe over the busy summer months. Photo: Getty Images

However, Delta is preserving some flights to Japan. Flights to Tokyo from Detroit, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Seattle will remain active. And, the airline will also maintain Tokyo to Manila service until it is scheduled to end on March 27th.

Delta Air Lines 777
Delta is using a 777-200LR for these flights, the same plane it operates on the Mumbai-JFK route. Photo: Delta Air Lines

Planned move to Tokyo-Haneda

On March 28th, Delta will transition flights from Tokyo-Narita to Tokyo-Haneda. This is after the carrier received the most slots at the airport.

Delta Air Lines
Delta will launch a daily service to Seattle in 2021. Photo: Delta Air Lines

Other frequency reductions

This comes on the heel of Delta's China suspensions. And, only a few days ago, the airline also suspended some flights to Seoul amid reduced demand. The culprit for this is largely the COVID-19 outbreak– also known as the coronavirus outbreak. China and South Korea have the most reported cases of the virus. Meanwhile, Japan is not reporting as many cases. however, the CDC has advised people to reconsider travel.

Delta Air Lines
Free Delta flights so far include Georgia, Louisiana, and Michigan. Photo: Delta Air Lines

The airline has also taken some more steps. Delta is waiving all change fees for flights booked between March 1st and 31st. This move is in line with what some of Delta's competitors have done. At the same time, Delta is taking enhanced measures when it comes to aircraft cleaning– including fogging key international arrivals.

Coronavirus, evacuation, quarantine
Airlines around the world are taking action to deal with Coronavirus. Photo: Getty Images

In addition, there is a temporary suspension of Delta's flights to Milan Malpensa Airport from New York-JFK in effect through May 1st. And, Delta will also start service to Venice one month later than planned on May 1st.

Overall

This is another step on Delta's part as the carrier responds to reduced travel demand to East Asia. Passengers who are booked on Delta flights to Japan should watch their flight status and contact Delta if their flights have been canceled for alternate travel arrangements

Have your Delta flights to Japan been canceled? Will you still fly to East Asia? Let us know in the comments!