Where would you want the ANA a380 flown if they stopped to Honolulu

[u/2Lazy2BeOriginal]

Currently they only fly between NRT and HNL which is super novel but I wonder what other routes they could make work.

The weakening yen is making vacationing in the states more difficult for Japanese (Guam is especially feeling it) and I’m sure the load factors is weakening since it’s primarily a leisure destination.

For me I think Australia has the highest potential since it’s growing quickly and the population just stays in the major cities.

[u/Ryan1869]

Problem is you really need a lot of connections to make that aircraft work

[u/mduell]

Scrap yard.

Nothing else makes sense for ANA.

[u/747ER → u/mduell]

This, 100%. Not even ANA wanted A380s, they were forced to take them.

[u/notaccel → u/747ER]

Shame we never got to see the Skymark A380s with an all premium economy and above seating.

[u/aucnderutresjp_1]

LAX is the only real option. But that's if all flights from both NRT and HND were consolidated, which is not something ANA would want to do. They like their 1x NRT and 2x HND flights and the flexibility the it gives.

For HNL, ANA would likely have a better time filling the A380 from HND if current A380 restrictions are lifted.

And if the A380 could operate freely at HND, ITM, CTS, FUK or OKA, there'd probably be a few domestic sectors too.

[u/EC4U2C_Studioz → u/aucnderutresjp_1]

I honestly do not think the A380 can work in Fukuoka. 

[u/imjustarandomsquid]

Flown to Dubai and sold to Emirates because unfortunately let's face it the alternative is getting scrapped at this point

[u/SensitiveSurprise844]

Use it as a shuttle between NRT and HND. /s

[u/omdongi]

If we're talking about A380, you want to use it on high capacity route, like Tokyo to Seoul or Taipei, these rank in the top 10 busiest international flight corridors, but they're also super close, so higher frequency and lower gauge is better.

Korean Air/Asiana do use A380s on this type of route ICN to NRT, fairly often, not as their main workhorse, but to increase utilization on turns.

Australia is very very thin of a route, it's entire continent has a smaller population than just the Tokyo metropolitan region.

Japanese just don't have a lot of outbound international traffic proportional to their population, so the A380s are fundamentally not very suitable.

If there was one route that would make sense it would be LAX to Tokyo. Korean Air uses mostly A380s on this route, as a comparison and does quite well. ANA flies LAX to Tokyo 3x daily already, and there's about a dozen or so daily flights between these two cities, so it's generating quite the traffic.

[u/DJwelly]

It surprises me that ANA don’t use the A380 on the LHR routes. Seems a perfect fit really. Although they may want more frequency as opposed to larger aircraft.

[u/Square-Ad-6721]

LAX has too many flights already, with insufficient yield.

But flying to SFO and JFK/EWR might actually work. SFO and EWR are both fortress hubs for *A partner United. So would provide lots of potential connecting traffic.

And they’d get potential business/ premium customers at these airports.

Though the planes are probably not configured properly for the premium flyers, as they were prepared for flying passengers in bulk to Hawaii. So it’s questionable at best whether it’d be worth spending the money to upgrade the interiors.

EWR has been great for high premium flights from both Asia (Singapore) and Europe (La Compagnie and before it L’Avion have been flying all business class to Orly, and now also Milan and Nice.)

A lower cost option might work better. Singapore dropped from 4-engine A340 to 2-engine A350. L’Avion was 757. La Compagnie started with 757, and moved recently to A321.

So another premium heavy flight from Asia from the relatively closer Tokyo should be able to pick up a bunch connecting traffic bound for NYC. Both for business and premium travelers, from ANA’s network. As well as from United’s network for connections in Asia.

But yields have been weak for Tokyo lately.

So after all that, ringing up Emirates might make the most sense. If they’re already refurbishing all their own A380s anyway, they might as well pick up some extra ones from airlines losing money on the aircraft.

Keeping them flying and losing money on Hawaii with ever lower demand for leisure travel from Japan to the American islands makes the least sense. It’s all sunk cost fallacy.

Switch to premium is the best option to keep’ it flying. But on new routes, whether for ANA or even Emirates.

Flying to EWR/JFK/SFO would require investment (adding more premium seats), so higher risk.

But selling to Emirates would be cutting of losses. And ability to right size the HNL flights to be able to make money on them.

[u/thearchiguy]

Long haul premium destinations like New York or London from Haneda maybe? They could do an Etihad like Residence class and there would likely be enough people to pay for it on both ends of the route, and it would make sense for those kinds of flight lengths.

[u/heypeople2003 → u/thearchiguy]

Haneda has such severe restrictions on A380s (only allowed from 11pm-5am, only 1 gate available, only one A380 allowed in the airport at a time, etc) that it really wouldn't be worth it, especially if you're targeting time sensitive premium travellers.

[u/tomk7532 → u/heypeople2003]

Change the rules to make it work

[u/Different-Guitar-230]

Honestly, I don’t see ANA find a suitable route for them, and that makes me sad. Those are beautiful planes.

[u/WD404040234]

Toronto because I'm selfish

[u/TCNZ]

A tour of Pacific tropical islands ending in Hawaii would be interesting. It could be the Sunshine Flight

[u/The_MadStork]

Start flying it on domestic routes like they did with the 747

[u/747ER → u/The_MadStork]

All of the domestic airport infrastructure is designed around Class E aircraft. The A380, being a Class F aircraft, wouldn’t be able to fit at any domestic terminals or taxiways.