Delta is pulling out of Nagoya, leaving Japanese city with no flights from North America
The "Detroit of Japan" will no longer be just a nonstop flight away from the Detroit in Michigan.
Delta Air Lines filed plans over the weekend to cut its 6,552-mile nonstop "Motor Town Express" route between Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Chubu Centrair International Airport (NGO) in Nagoya, Japan, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
Delta's final flight from Detroit to Nagoya will take off on Feb. 27, and return back to the U.S. on Feb. 28.
Delta is giving just about a month's notice before removing this route-map pin from its network. Travelers booked on the route will receive a full refund or reaccommodation on other Delta and SkyTeam alliance flights from the region.
With the move, Delta will leave the Japanese city without any transpacific service, ending a long-served route that the airline inherited from Northwest Airlines back when the two carriers officially merged in late 2009.
That said, Nagoya will remain connected to the U.S. with service to Honolulu on Japan Airlines. United Airlines flies between its hub in Guam and Nagoya, too.
Delta and its predecessors have had a storied history in Nagoya. Northwest began serving this Japanese city from Detroit in 1998, according to historical archives. Meanwhile, Delta first flew to Nagoya back in 1991, though that flight from Portland was later scrapped, according to Airline Maps.
In the following years, Northwest continued to build and restructure its presence in Nagoya.
Other Delta changes in Japan: Sayonara, Narita: The rise and fall of Delta's Tokyo hub
With the Northwest merger, Delta inherited Northwest's flights from Nagoya to Detroit, Guam, Manila and Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Delta boosted its presence in this Japanese city with the addition of nonstop flights to Honolulu in December 2010.
In fact, Delta was operating nine daily flights to and from Nagoya at its peak in March 2011.
But it wasn't long thereafter that Delta started chipping away at its presence in Nagoya, ending service to Manila in 2014, followed by Saipan in 2015 and Guam in 2016, according to Cirium schedules.
That left service to Honolulu and Detroit as the two remaining Delta flights to Nagoya. The Hawaii route ended abruptly in March 2020 at the outset of the pandemic, and the Detroit service was suspended then too.
Only one route reemerged from the pandemic, and it was the nonstop flight from Detroit, which resumed in April 2021 with once-weekly service aboard the airline's flagship Airbus A350-900.
Things were looking promising late last year when Delta increased the frequency on the Detroit to Nagoya long-haul route to three times a week, but that optimism was seemingly shortlived as the airline is now calling it quits entirely in the market.
Without an official comment from Delta — the airline declined to provide one — as to the reason for the cut, it's likely that the carrier can no longer make the economics work.
Nagoya is known as a major hub of the Japanese auto industry, with Toyota's worldwide headquarters and manufacturing facilities located nearby. Meanwhile, Detroit, or "Motor City," was the birthplace of America's biggest car companies: Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.
Delta's nonstop flight likely relied heavily on the premium-cabin demand from automobile executives and other industry players traveling between the two cities for meetings, conferences and special events. Now that the pandemic has changed the norms for internet-based meetings and conferences, it's possible that Delta isn't seeing robust demand on the route like it did before the pandemic.
Either way, it's an unfortunate ending for Delta's presence in Japan's fourth-most-populous city.
Without Nagoya, the Atlanta-based carrier will consolidate all of its Japanese operations to Haneda Airport (HND) in Tokyo, where it operates a brand-new Sky Club.
Delta's network from Haneda includes service to Atlanta, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Portland and Seattle.
More on Delta from TPG:
- Best Delta credit cards of January 2023
- Points of View: Which credit card should you use for Delta Air Lines flights?
- 1st look: Delta's revamped JFK terminal with 11 new gates and 2 new Sky Clubs
- Delta unveils 1st-ever route to New Zealand, adds more service to Paris
- Your complete guide to the Delta SkyMiles program
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees