Game-Changer: Air India Plans New Non-Stop Flights from Delhi to LA and Dallas

[CricPokChic]

Air India, which went from near-collapse to new planes, new seats and new uniforms, is planning to fly from Delhi to both Los Angeles and Dallas – Fort Worth, according to an internal schedule. Specific flight numbers, flight times, and an aircraft type have been assigned.

 

• 5 times weekly service to Los Angeles
• 4 times weekly service to Dallas
• Both flights to use Boeing 777 ’77B’ aircraft

Those more familiar with Air India’s fleet plan can chime in on whether the 77B is ex-Delta Boeing 777-200LRs, or ex-Etihad birds.

The Dallas schedule appears to be:

 

• Delhi – Dallas Fort Worth, 2:00 a.m. – 9:10 a.m., Air India Flight AI199
  Dallas Fort Worth – Delhi, 12:10 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.+1, Air India Flight AI198

There are over 900 passengers per day flying from DFW to India, though Delhi isn’t actually the most popular destination. Both Hyderabad and Mumbai are larger markets. Currently Qatar Airways (via Doha) and Emirates (via Dubai) are carrying the greatest portion of this traffic, followed by Turkish Airlines (via Istanbul). It’s not clear that Air India will have a schedule advantage attracting passengers outside of Delhi non-stop customers.

In some ways it’s surprising to see Air India plan Dallas service before Houston, where Star Alliance partner United has a hub that would allow for picking up connecting traffic from the Midwest and South. However Air India and United don’t have a close relationship and the flight likely wouldn’t see much support. Los Angeles seems an obvious market, and is one where Air India previously served one-stop via Europe.

The Dallas flight is shown in internal plans as starting February 1, which seems impossible at this point for a flight not formally announced or loaded for sale. Presumably this date gets pushed back.

DFW-based American Airlines currently flies to Delhi from New York JFK. That flight, while operationally much improved since launch, suffers restrictions from the lack of Russian overflight. DFW would be harder for American to accomplish. They are also short on capable aircraft.

There was a time when American, which had planned Seattle – Bangalore prior to the pandemic, wouldn’t have allowed Air India to launch Dallas service without competition. When Icelandic airlines started to fly to Dallas from Reykjavik, then-CEO Doug Parker explained American’s response,

We would never allow that in Dallas Fort-Worth. Somebody starts flying a flight from Dallas to anywhere and American either is already there or we’re gonna be there.

Because we’re not going to let customers have another option other than American in and out of here.

 

Once Icelandair and Wow Air pulled out of Dallas, American ended their own Dallas – Reykjavik service and moved it to Philadelphia. I’d be surprised by a similar competitive response to Air India today.