Where U.S. airlines are flying the wide-bodies idled by China flight suspensions
Las Vegas has hit the jackpot this spring with American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines all assigning some of their idled wide-body jets to fly to the gambling mecca.
Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) will see wide-bodies operate on at least eight domestic routes in March and April that were the sole domain of narrow-body aircraft a year ago, according to the latest Cirium schedule data. Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO) and Tampa (TPA) will also see twin-aisle jets on select domestic routes this spring.
The aircraft were idled following the decisions by American, Delta and United to suspend flights to mainland China and Hong Kong through at the last April 30. Flights were suspended amid a drop in demand due to fears of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak in China.
Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more airline news!
American will deploy Boeing 777-200s and Boeing 787-8s on three routes:
- Chicago O'Hare (ORD) - Las Vegas: Daily on a 787-8 from March 5-March 27
- Chicago - San Francisco: Daily on a 787-8 from March 28-April 24
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) - Las Vegas: Up to twice daily on 777-200s and 787-8s from March 5-May 6
Delta will deploy Airbus A330s and Boeing 767s on six routes:
- Atlanta (ATL) - Las Vegas: Up to four-times daily on A330-200s, A330-300s, 767-300ERs and 767-400ERs from March 9-April 30
- Atlanta - Phoenix: Up to three-times daily on A330-300s, 767-300ERs and 767-400ERs from March 11-April 9
- Atlanta - San Diego: Twice daily on A330-300s and 767-300ERs from March 12-April 30
- Detroit (DTW) - Las Vegas: Daily on a 767-300ER from March 9-April 30
- Detroit - Phoenix: Daily on a 767-300ER from March 12-March 31
- Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) - Las Vegas: Up to twice daily on A330-300s or 767-300ERs from March 9-April 15
United will deploy 777-200s on four routes:
- Chicago - Las Vegas: Up to daily from March 5-April 30
- Newark Liberty (EWR) - Las Vegas: Up to daily from March 5-April 30
- Newark - Tampa: Daily from March 29-April 24
- Washington Dulles (IAD) - Las Vegas: Daily from March 29-April 24
Related: American Airlines could drop ambition of Los Angeles gateway to Asia
The above domestic schedule additions exclude any hub-to-hub routes, for example between Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles on American, that already see wide-body jets on occasion. In addition, airlines may add one-off wide-body-operated flights on other routes that are not reflected here.
"[The] network adjustments by the three U.S. airlines appear largely rational in an attempt to maximize the utilization... while minimizing the impact on overall yields," wrote Raymond James analyst Savanthi Syth on the domestic wide-body deployment in a report earlier in February. "The [wide-body aircraft] being flown to China and [Hong Kong] by U.S. airlines are being grounded during the off-peak and redeployed during the peak-demand Spring Break and Easter travel periods."
The China and Hong Kong flight suspensions have impacted 12 aircraft at both American and Delta, and 26 aircraft at United, according to Raymond James.
Related: What does the coronavirus outbreak mean for travelers?
Spokespeople from American, Delta and United all told TPG that the shifts to larger aircraft on the above routes were all in response to demand when asked where they were redeploying their idled wide-body jets.
In a report Monday morning, analysts at Cowen called the spread of the latest coronavirus to meet the "definition of global pandemic," citing new cases in Iran, Italy and South Korea. Global health authorities have confirmed roughly 77,000 COVID-19 cases, with 2,592 confirmed deaths in China.
Related: Las Vegas airport set to hit record 50 million passengers
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 10x | Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. |
| 5x | Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. |
| 3x | Earn 3x points on other travel and dining. |
| 1x | Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
If you are looking to take your premium rewards to the highest level, this card is really a no brainer in our eyes. Chase's Ultimate Rewards make points easy to redeem, with a wide range of 10 airline and three hotel transfer partners and a friendly user interface. Despite the high annual fee, Chase is consistently adding new benefits to keep the card competitive in a fierce premium rewards field.Pros
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year
- Access to Chase Ultimate Rewards hotel and airline travel partners
- Unlimited 3x points on the broad category of travel and dining
- 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Broad definitions for travel and dining bonus categories
Cons
- Steep $550 annual fee
- May not make sense for people that don't travel frequently
- You must spend the $300 travel credit before earning 3x points for travel and dining
- No automatic hotel elite status
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,200 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,200 toward travel
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
Rewards Rate
| 10x | Earn 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. |
| 5x | Earn 5x total points on flights through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. |
| 3x | Earn 3x points on other travel and dining. |
| 1x | Earn 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases |
Intro Offer
Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,200 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®80,000 bonus pointsAnnual Fee
$550Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
If you are looking to take your premium rewards to the highest level, this card is really a no brainer in our eyes. Chase's Ultimate Rewards make points easy to redeem, with a wide range of 10 airline and three hotel transfer partners and a friendly user interface. Despite the high annual fee, Chase is consistently adding new benefits to keep the card competitive in a fierce premium rewards field.Pros
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year
- Access to Chase Ultimate Rewards hotel and airline travel partners
- Unlimited 3x points on the broad category of travel and dining
- 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- Broad definitions for travel and dining bonus categories
Cons
- Steep $550 annual fee
- May not make sense for people that don't travel frequently
- You must spend the $300 travel credit before earning 3x points for travel and dining
- No automatic hotel elite status
- Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,200 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,200 toward travel
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more