Delta unveils historic route flying to new country for the first time
Delta has launched the first-ever nonstop flight route connecting Utah to Asia, with a new service between Salt Lake City and Seoul.
The inaugural flight departed Salt Lake City International Airport on June 12
It was met with fanfare at gate A25 — including live music, food, and remarks from Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall.
Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a popular tourist destination known for its vibrant culinary scene and being the host of the 1998 summer Olympics.
'This is a monumental step forward... my invitation to Salt Lakers is to start looking out for more visitors from Asia and welcome them with open arms here in the state of Utah,' Mendenhall said.
The aircraft was designed to celebrate the Delta's 100th anniversary and included lie-flat seating, bedding, and four-course meals.
It is an Airbus A350-900, which can seat up to 306 passengers not including flight staff.
Direct trips to Seoul-Incheon International Airport take nearly 13 hours to complete, and over 11 hours to return to Utah.
Delta announced its plans to create the nonstop route last year while its wealthiest fliers were beginning to switch airlines.
'As Salt Lake City continues to grow as a vital Delta hub, our strong joint venture with Korean Air allows us to offer unmatched connectivity between the U.S. and Asia, leveraging strong hubs on both sides,' said Delta's senior vice president of network planning Joe Esposito.
'This ensures that customers, including those in the interior U.S., have access not just to Seoul but to key destinations across Asia.'
Each flight to Korea from Salt Lake City features Korean snacks and flight attendants and is expected to have free Wi-Fi available by 2026.
'With the service we already have, and the addition of this flight, 80% of the world's population is now within one stop of Salt Lake City, Utah. It's a pretty amazing thing to just absorb what that means,' said SLC's executive director Bill Wyatt.
Other officials also believe this is more than just a historic route and is also a way to better the relationships of these countries with Delta.
'It's a bridge between two places with natural beauty, innovation and growing friendship,' said counsel general of the Republic of Korea Jung-taek Lim.
'[The] Korean Consulate is fully committed to supporting this journey, whether it's helping travelers enjoy a safe and enriching state or promoting lasting partnership between Korea and Utah.'
The party was held at gate A25, and included food, music, and an appearance from Delta's mascot
Besides the iconic flight route, Delta has been busy working on modernizing its aircrafts.
The Atlanta-based carrier was met with backlash last year after giving a preview of its new cabin design.
The design plan went off without a hitch, and the first revamped aircraft took off on February 1.
Delta also made headlines when it released photos of an upcoming futuristic and environmentally friendly aircraft.
The new carrier is part of Delta's multi-prolonged approach to have net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
If all goes according to plan, the first futuristic aircraft is expected to launch in 2027.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
China's extended 618 shopping fest fails to stir excitement
BEIJING, June 19 (Reuters) - China's biggest mid-year shopping festival, 618, ended on Wednesday evening without much fanfare after more than a month of promotional events aimed at enticing consumers to part with more of their hard-earned money. Originally a single-day celebration marking the founding of e-commerce giant ( opens new tab on June 18, the festival has expanded to include all e-commerce platforms with ever-lengthening sales periods. This year, presale for and Alibaba ( opens new tab kicked off on May 13, making the shopping festival longer than a month. China's retail sector continues to struggle due to concerns over employment stability, stalled wage growth and the ongoing property crisis, leaving shoppers in no mood to splurge. Retailers and the government have sought to lift subdued spending by deepening discounts and expanding consumer subsidies. Though extending the sales period is likely to help overall sales growth for this year's 618 period, analysts say, longer festivals and year-round discounts on e-commerce platforms have dampened excitement for these kinds of events. "I don't have anything special to buy during the 618 shopping festival. Because there are always great deals, I can buy whatever I need whenever," said Xu Binqi, who works in Beijing's film industry. "Take skincare products as an example, I buy them whenever I run out, and the prices are no higher than during the 618 festival." Rachel Lee, general manager of market research firm Worldpanel China and co-author of Bain & Co.'s recent China Shopper Report, said that when consumers are budget-conscious, they seek affordable alternatives, and discounts play a lesser role. "Standalone promotional discounts will find it increasingly difficult to drive volume growth," she said. Major e-commerce platforms have not disclosed overall sales figures for 618 in recent years, but according to data provider Syntun, sales during the mid-year festival last year fell for the first time in 2024, down 7% at 742.8 billion yuan ($103.31 billion) from the year before. This year, said the number of users placing orders for the 618 event has more than doubled year-on-year, with over 2.2 billion orders across its online, offline and food delivery platforms. Alibaba said that 453 brands surpassed 100 million yuan ($13.91 million) in gross merchandise volume (GMV) over the 618 period. Brands that surpassed 1 billion yuan in GMV included Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, Xiaomi ( opens new tab, Huawei ( Nike (NKE.N), opens new tab, Adidas ( opens new tab, L'Oréal ( opens new tab and Lululemon (LULU.O), opens new tab, Alibaba added. GMV is a metric used by e-commerce companies roughly analogous to sales revenue. While the retail environment in China remains difficult, there are signs that consumption overall has picked up in recent months. Retail sales growth surpassed expectations in May, with official data showing a 6.4% increase, the fastest growth since December 2023. Analysts pointed to the earlier start of 618, along with government consumer subsidies for goods such as home appliances and mobile phones, as twin drivers. Jacob Cooke, co-founder and CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, said the extended 618 festival front-loaded consumer demand, encouraging earlier spending and smoothing consumption trends into May. "A longer 618 festival with low prices helps sustain engagement across weeks and has contributed materially to May's strong retail performance," Cooke said. Analysts warn that a pause in subsidy programmes in several regions, as central government allocations dry up, could weigh on 618 sales and overall consumption this month, though more funds are likely to be allocated for those programmes in July. "Rapid sales growth of key subsidy categories (such as home appliances) driven by the 618 shopping festival starting from quickly depleted funds," HSBC analysts wrote in a note. "Suspension of national subsidies in selected regions may affect 618 sales and June retail sales" the analysts added. Eve Wang, 32, reflected on the shift in spending habits: "In the past, for example during events like Singles' Day and 618, I used to spend a lot of money on stockpiling goods, but now ... I only buy what I need." Wang didn't participate in this year 618 shopping festival. "I didn't buy anything at all." ($1 = 7.1897 Chinese yuan)
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Air India crash latest: Investigators find emergency power likely came on before crash as 66 Dreamliner flights cancelled
Investigators probing the deadly crash of Air India flight 171 in which more than 270 people were killed have found that the aircraft's emergency power system was likely active just before impact. The Wall Street Journal reported that this possibly suggested an engine or hydraulic failure during takeoff, a rare and serious event in commercial aviation. However, the investigators were yet to determine whether engine, hydraulic, or other system failures activated the emergency power, according to the outlet, which cited people familiar with the probe. Air India has cancelled 66 Dreamliner flights since the 12 June crash in Ahmedabad, Indian aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday. The airline has also delayed multiple flights serviced by Boeing 787-8. It has attributed the interruptions to grounded aircraft, technical issues, restricted airspace, and heightened safety protocols. The DGCA, meanwhile, has found no major flaws in Air India's Dreamliners, but flagged maintenance delays and coordination issues. Air India cutting widebody international operations by 15% for few weeks Air India is cutting its international widebody operations by 15 per cent for a few weeks due to safety inspections and disruptions following the deadly crash of flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner that killed 241 people on board. So far, 26 of the airline's 33 Dreamliners have been cleared after inspection. The airline, owned by the Tata Group, said the reductions will remain in place through at least mid-July to maintain operational stability, improve efficiency, and reduce passenger inconvenience. Air India added that inspections of the remaining aircraft will be carried out in the coming days, with further checks also scheduled for its Boeing 777 fleet. Air India also attributed the recent wave of flight cancellations, 83 in the past six days, to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and night curfews affecting several European and East Asian airspaces, Reuters reported. Maroosha Muzaffar19 June 2025 03:49 British man's family in distress over lack of support from UK and India governments The family of 25-year-old Faizan Rafik, a British man feared to be on the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, is still awaiting official confirmation of his fate. Despite providing DNA days ago, they've received no updates, leaving them in distress and without guidance, the BBC reported. Rafik was returning to the UK after visiting his wife in Gujarat. His cousin has called for more support from UK authorities and expressed frustration at the lack of communication from both Indian and British officials. Sameer Rafik, his cousin told the outlet that his family had been left 'completely stuck' and that they 'don't know what to do'. The crash killed 241 of 242 on board, including 53 Britons. Mr Rafik said: 'There's no update on him, we don't know if he's dead or alive.' 'We are still hoping to hear some good news from India but unfortunately we aren't getting any update from anywhere.'Faizan's dad was asked to give DNA - it's been more than four days now. We were supposed to have heard from the hospital by Monday but we haven't heard anything. 'We need to get some update about my brother. Was he there in the flight crash? If he wasn't on the flight where is he? If he is on the flight then what's the condition of the body?' He added: 'We haven't had anything from the UK or India – it feels like he was the one paying tax to this country and the government doesn't bother about the person who has died. People hold candles as they take part in a special prayer ceremony for the victims of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane, which crashed during take-off from an airport, in Ahmedabad, India, 17 June 2025 'It feels very awful. He's nothing to the government – just a piece of paper, feels like tearing it up and throwing it in the bin. 'We don't know what to do because we're completely blank. We need some kind of support from someone, we need a guide about what to do but we don't have that at the moment.' Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 22:00 Boeing 787's emergency-power system likely active before Air India crash - report Investigators looking into the deadly crash of Air India Flight 171, which claimed over 270 lives, have found that the aircraft's emergency power system was likely activated shortly before impact. According to The Wall Street Journal, this could point to a possible engine or hydraulic failure during takeoff, an extremely rare but serious issue in commercial aviation. However, investigators have not yet confirmed what triggered the emergency system, the report said, citing sources familiar with the inquiry. Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 21:00 Why did the Air India flight crash? Here's how experts will investigate the disaster in Ahmedabad Investigators in India are working to identify the cause of the Air India plane crash that killed all but one of the 242 passengers on board on Thursday 12 June. Dozens of people on the ground also died. It was the first fatal crash involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The flight, which had been bound for London Gatwick, came down shortly after taking off from the western city of Ahmedabad. According to Flightradar24, the aircraft departed at 08:08:44 GMT (1.38pm local time) from runway 23 and climbed only a few hundred feet before crashing less than a minute later. With speculation rife about the cause of the disaster, Indian safety experts have been joined by teams from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to work out what happened as the disaster on flight AI171 unfolded. Read more by Simon Calder here: Why did Air India flight crash? How experts will investigate the Ahmedabad disaster Speculation is rife about the causes of the disaster, as experts begin to piece together how flight AI171 crash unfolded Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 20:00 Locals say Air India pilot 'sacrificed his life to save others' Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a pilot for Air India, is being hailed as a hero for diverting his falling plane away from a densely populated area near Ahmedabad airport, potentially saving hundreds of lives. Air India flight AI171, bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all but one of the 242 passengers and crew, as well as at least 29 people on the ground, including medical students. Locals believe Mr Sabharwal deliberately steered the Boeing 787 Dreamliner away from their apartment building. Locals say Air India pilot 'sacrificed his life to save others' Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 19:00 India orders nationwide airport emergency drills after devastating Air India crash In a 13 June memo titled ' Updating Airport Emergency Plan' and reviewed by Reuters, India's aviation authorities instructed all government-managed airports to conduct a full-scale emergency training exercise on 30 June. These drills, which simulate crisis scenarios such as crashes or large-scale evacuations, are a standard component of airport preparedness and safety protocols. The directive came in the wake of the deadly Air India crash on 12 June in Ahmedabad, which claimed 241 lives onboard and killed several more on the ground. Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 18:00 Boeing 787 Dreamliner: a passenger and airline favourite, with some nightmares along the way The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was the first truly 21st-century big jet. More than 1,000 are in service, and many passengers rate it more highly than other aircraft. The carbon-fibre twin-engined 787 was designed partly as a replacement for Boeing's veteran 767 – but also to introduce passenger-friendly benefits such as larger windows and higher cabin pressure. The Dreamliner was also accountant-friendly, burning about one-fifth less fuel than the 767, and allowed airlines' network planners to dream of ultra-long routes. The daily Qantas nonstop between London Heathrow and Perth in Western Australia, covering over 9,000 miles, is a doddle for a suitably configured 787. Boeing 787 Dreamliner: a passenger favourite, with some nightmares along the way The Man Who Pays His Way: The first fatal crash of the 787 in Ahmedabad will sharply increase the focus on the plane's airworthiness Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 17:00 He flew home to bury his father. The Air India crash took his life As families wait for DNA tests to confirm the identities of their loved ones who perished in the Air India crash, harrowing stories emerge from the decade's worst aviation disaster. Namita Singh reports from Ahmedabad: As families wait for DNA tests to confirm the identities of their loved ones who perished in the Air India crash, harrowing stories emerge from the decade's worst aviation disaster. Namita Singh reports from Ahmedabad Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 16:00 Boy who recorded viral Ahmedabad crash video 'still not feeling like himself' Aryan Asari, a 17-year-old airplane enthusiast, was filming from his father's terrace in Ahmedabad when he witnessed and recorded the horrific Air India Dreamliner crash that killed 241 onboard and nearly 30 on the ground. A lifelong fan of planes, Aryan was excited to see aircraft up close during his first visit to the city. But the trauma of watching the plane spiral and explode has left him deeply shaken. 'I saw the plane. It was going down and down. Then it wobbled and crashed right before my eyes,' he told the BBC. His video became crucial to investigators and went viral.'My son is so scared that he has stopped using his phone,' his father, Maganbhai Asari, told the outlet. Aryan is now trying to recover from the emotional impact, but his father fears he may never look at planes the same way again. 'This was Aryan's first time in Ahmedabad. Actually, it was the first time in his life that he left the village,' Mr Asari said. Retired army soldier Mr Asari now lives alone in a modest rooftop room near Ahmedabad airport, while his wife and two children remain in their ancestral village on the Gujarat-Rajasthan border. 'Whenever I'd call, Aryan would ask if I could spot aeroplanes from our terrace and I would tell him you could see hundreds of them streaking the sky.' The family had been swamped with interview requests after the viral video, and Aryan had a traumatic experience dealing with all that. 'My son was so disturbed by then that we decided to send him back to the village.' Aryan has now resumed school but is 'still not feeling like himself. His mother tells me that every time his phone rings, he gets scared', Mr Asari said. 'I know he will be fine with time. But I don't think my son will try looking for airplanes in the sky again.' Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 15:00 British families of Air India crash victims feel 'utterly abandoned' by UK government Families of British victims of the Air India plane crash are experiencing "pain and frustration" due to delays in identifying and repatriating their loved ones, according to a government minister. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off on Thursday, marking one of the deadliest plane accidents in terms of British casualties. The aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel in a residential area of Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. Among the deceased, 52 were British nationals. The sole survivor was Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. Relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa, who died in the crash, said they felt 'utterly abandoned' by the UK Government and called for more support on the ground in India. Maroosha Muzaffar18 June 2025 14:00
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Exclusive: Japan plans to cut super-long bond sales by 10% to ease market concerns, draft shows
TOKYO, June 19 (Reuters) - Japan's government plans to cut sales of super-long bonds by about 10% from the original plan in a rare revision to its bond programme for the current fiscal year, trimming overall bond issuance as a result, a draft document seen by Reuters showed. The move aims to soothe market concerns over supply-demand imbalances, after weak demand at recent auctions and a surge in super-long yields to record high levels last month rattled the bond market. The step also follows the Bank of Japan's decision this week to decelerate the pace of bond purchases reductions from next fiscal year, signalling its preference to move cautiously in removing remnants of its massive, decade-long stimulus. The revised issuance plan will be presented to primary dealers for discussion at a meeting on Friday. Additionally, there are also ideas of buying back some previously issued super-long JGBs with low interest rates to improve the supply-demand balance. The planned reduction in 20-, 30- and 40-year super-long bond sales would be partly offset by increased issuance of shorter-term notes, as well as bonds specifically designed for households. As a result, the total Japanese government bond (JGB) scheduled sales for the year through next March are set to fall by 500 billion yen ($3.44 billion) to 171.8 trillion yen, according to the draft of the revised bond programme. ($1 = 145.1500 yen)
