18 is a Better Number Anyhow

So, one of Seattle’s 19 direct international flight routes is ending. Apparently, Northwest’s new owner, Delta, doesn’t think that the Seattle-London route is maximizing their profitability (although I guess British Airways is having more luck).

This kind of contraction is to be expected in bad economic times. According to this article, “combined airline losses could total $5.2 billion this year. Over the next few years, fewer planes will wing into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.” This is especially true of domestic carriers, which seem to be less committed to their routes than international carriers; a lot of international carriers see starting up a direct route to a place like Seattle as a longer term investment.

But again, direct international routes are a huge economic driver for a region, bringing not only business and leisure travelers to a destination, but affecting core strategic business decisions like office locations. There are ways to better support our existing international routes, through increased marketing and the development of stronger business relationships with the cities we’re directly linked to. We’ll be working with a number of stakeholders over the next two years to do just that, through our tourism/visitors strategy.