Delta Air Lines to end Guam service

Delta Air Lines will stop flying between Guam and Japan, with its last operating date on Jan. 8, 2018, because of low demand, airline officials stated Monday morning.

Delta, however, will continue its service to and from Saipan and Narita, as well as Palau and Narita.

"Delta has decided to discontinue service between Narita and Guam by January 2018 as the demand has not been strong enough to sustain the route. The last operating date for Guam-Narita will be on Jan. 8, 2018,"  Hiroko Okada, with the airline's corporate communications department, said in a written statement.

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Delta's pullout will reduce the seat capacity from Narita, Japan, by approximately 35 percent, Rolenda Lujan Faasuamalie, airport marketing administrator for the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, said.

Faasuamalie said United Airlines and Japan Airlines will continue to operate the same Narita-Guam route. Delta operates two flights a day.

"We understand the early morning flight will be discontinued in October 2017, and for the afternoon flight, it will be Jan. 8, 2018 for the last flight out," Faasuamalie said.

She said Delta executives did talk to the Guam airport about its plans to suspend service to Guam.

"It was a corporate decision. As long as Delta maintains its authority to service Guam with the U.S. Department of Transportation, they will be able to renew their service to Guam," Faasuamalie said. "As a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, they will still have reach to Guam  with sky team member Korean Airlines still servicing Guam."

Delta plans to provide affected customers the option to travel on other airlines, the airline's statement said.

"Delta will continue to operate daily service from Narita to Saipan and twice-weekly service to Palau," the airline stated.

Guam has seen a significant shift in its tourism base this year, with declining Japan arrivals year-over-year, but sharp increases in arrivals from South Korea. Guam each month now receives more South Korean tourists than Japanese tourists.

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Double whammy

Delta Air Lines' pullout is just the latest blow to Guam's economy. The Guam Visitors Bureau reported some $9.5 million in losses to the tourism industry during August, when North Korea missile threats rocked the island.

HK Express also delayed its Guam-Nagoya flights until next summer "in view of geopolitical concerns in the region," referring to the North Korean threats.

August saw 7,426 cancellations from tours, school groups and business ventures, mainly from Japan, the tourism bureau said. A China Air charter flight to Guam from Taiwan scheduled for October also was canceled due to hesitant customers, the bureau said.

GVB has acknowledged the impacts of these recent developments on the tourism industry.

“While we are disappointed with the announcement that HK Express has delayed the launch of its direct flight service to Guam, as well Delta’s announcement to end its Guam service, GVB remains committed to working with the governor, lieutenant governor and the Legislature to put our best foot forward," acting GVB president and CEO Antonio Muna Jr. said.

Delta has been operating in Guam since the 1980s, after Pan American discontinued its service in 1984.

The airline first operated as Northwest Orient Airlines, then Northwest Airlines, before changing its name after merging with Delta in 2008.

Delta has been operating direct flights from Saipan to Narita since June 1989.

With Delta leaving, United Airlines will be the only U.S. carrier with operations on Guam and flights to Japan.

GVB's Muna said the bureau has incentive plans in place to attract new air service, and increased marketing activities to support current services.

"We thank Delta for over 30 years of partnership and will continue to work on future opportunities to resume services to Guam," Muna said. "We will also work closely with HK Express and thank them for their partnership. We look forward to their new launch date in 2018."

'More than ever'

Sen. Dennis Rodriguez, chairman of the legislative committee on tourism, said he heard about Delta's pullout a few days ago, and immediately reached out to several people to offer whatever assistance the Legislature, as policy makers, can provide to alleviate the situation.

Of those he reached out to, he said, is Sam Shinohara of United Airlines, "to affirm Guam's appreciation for their partnership and to request that they step up their presence by, as much as possible augmenting the number of seats we will be losing from Delta's decision to end service to Guam."

"Now, more than ever, we need to work twice as hard to maintain our existing partners, such as United, and the other carriers that service Guam. I've communicated with GVB and offered my assistance on their efforts to pursue other opportunities this situation has opened up," Rodriguez said.

He said although Delta's cancellation of service is concerning on many fronts, Guam needs to come together as a community and work hard to pursue other opportunities to minimize the impact.

"Guam and our people are resilient. We have expertise and experienced individuals at GVB, at the GIAA, and within our community to help us navigate through this setback," the senator said.

Reporter Haidee Eugenio covers Guam's Catholic church issues, education and more. Follow her on Twitter @haidee_eugenio. Follow Pacific Daily News on Facebook/GuamPDN and Instagram @guampdn.

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This article originally appeared on Pacific Daily News: Delta Air Lines to end Guam service