NWA considering MEM-Tokyo nonstop

[sleepy]

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/...-japan-nonstop/

"Northwest Airlines is considering adding nonstop service between Memphis and Japan as early as 2009, providing an immediate link for Asian investors and stimulating the economy far beyond gains realized from Northwest-KLM's daily Amsterdam flight.

Northwest chief executive Doug Steenland mentioned the possibility last week in Japan, saying the airline was considering Memphis as the base for one of the Boeing 787s it will receive in 2009."

Well, let's hope this comes to fruition. As most know, there's been talk of this for quite awhile, but the article seems to convey that it's gone beyond a hope and prayer to the serious considertion phase by NWA heads.

[hgupta]

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/...-japan-nonstop/

"Northwest Airlines is considering adding nonstop service between Memphis and Japan as early as 2009, providing an immediate link for Asian investors and stimulating the economy far beyond gains realized from Northwest-KLM's daily Amsterdam flight.

Northwest chief executive Doug Steenland mentioned the possibility last week in Japan, saying the airline was considering Memphis as the base for one of the Boeing 787s it will receive in 2009."

Well, let's hope this comes to fruition. As most know, there's been talk of this for quite awhile, but the article seems to convey that it's gone beyond a hope and prayer to the serious considertion phase by NWA heads.

[memville]

This would be amazing, and would make the NW hub at MEM look much more important. I hope this happens, and I will have my fingers crossed much like Larry Cox.

[Rural King]

This would be great for both the airport and the city of Memphis. As sleepy stated the potnential economic gains of a direct flight to Tokyo for opening up more Japanese investment in Memphis and region would tremendous. Also, as memville stated the addition of the flight and those new aircraft to Memphis would add to prestige factor of both the NWA hub and the airport.

[northernbizzkit1]

This is comforting on two levels:

1. It means that the MEM-NRT flight is actually a realistic thing for the airport to see within the next two years...

2. It also means that Northwest has a long-term vision for MEM...if they were eagerly planning on shutting MEM down like some of the naysayers claim, Steenland wouldn't have even mentioned this.

If you want to see some interesting things...as well as some lovely comments about MEM and our city in general from some Nashville friends, check out the thread similar to this one going on at airliners.net

Ah, i love this and even moreso watching the people from IND, BNA, MKE, and RDU try to downplay it...it's like the MEM-AMS flight all over again...and this hasn't even been guaranteed yet!

[sleepy]

If you want to see some interesting things...as well as some lovely comments about MEM and our city in general from some Nashville friends, check out the thread similar to this one going on at airliners.net

Ah, i love this and even moreso watching the people from IND, BNA, MKE, and RDU try to downplay it...it's like the MEM-AMS flight all over again...and this hasn't even been guaranteed yet!

[jmduke]

(Guess this part was not well-received)

...Perhaps maybe the economy can bear this new service and people don't want to connect through those already crowded gateways. Growth and more options are wonderful concepts and Memphis is in an excellent position to provide that.

I was amazed to see some of the (...) comments on there, especially the one about the SE not having many Asian business ties. (...) In the NW system, you cannot directly fly from Gulfport, Montgomery, Panama City, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Chattanooga, and a few others to the northern hubs; you have to go thru Memphis. We know we have a good local base of Asian business here and the connections to Asian business in the SE make our case for a flight even stronger.

Let's also not forget connecting service out of NRT. NWA has a sweet deal that allows connections to other countries from NRT (airline rights buffs please chime in, it's somewhere between 5th Freedom and Cabotage, but I'm not sure). A flight from MEM could connect to cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, and Manila. Add in the connections via Amsterdam, and Memphis would have one-stop service to markets representing well over 80% of the world's GDP. I can't think of a similar-sized metro area in this country that would have that connectivity. Let's hope the aircraft acquisition and DOT filing process goes smoothly.

Kudos to NorBiz and CDarr for seeing the potential 787 link some time ago and to Sleepy for keeping the faith on (UrbanPlanet).

Positive and conversational enough?

[Clobber]

Too funny...there's Lexy in Airliners.net talking trash about MEM. It's odd the amount of vitriol this development has created: it seems they think that since other nearby hubs such as ATL, DFW, and IAH already have Japan service, MEM should not have it. Perhaps maybe the economy can bear this new service and people don't want to connect through those already crowded gateways. Growth and more options are wonderful concepts and Memphis is in an excellent position to provide that.

I was amazed to see some of the uneducated comments on there, especially the one about the SE not having many Asian business ties. The other one about any connections are already filled by MSP and DTW was just plain ignorant too. In the NW system, you cannot directly fly from Gulfport, Montgomery, Panama City, Pensacola, Tallahassee, Chattanooga, and a few others to the northern hubs; you have to go thru Memphis. We know we have a good local base of Asian business here and the connections to Asian business in the SE make our case for a flight even stronger.

Let's also not forget connecting service out of NRT. NWA has a sweet deal that allows connections to other countries from NRT (airline rights buffs please chime in, it's somewhere between 5th Freedom and Cabotage, but I'm not sure). A flight from MEM could connect to cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul, and Manila. Add in the connections via Amsterdam, and Memphis would have one-stop service to markets representing well over 80% of the world's GDP. I can't think of a similar-sized metro area in this country that would have that connectivity. Let's hope the aircraft acquisition and DOT filing process goes smoothly.

Kudos to NorBiz and CDarr for seeing the potential 787 link some time ago and to Sleepy for keeping the faith on Airliners.net.

[memp600]

This sounds great. Did not know about the consideration. IMO I think Memphis is really moving foward and starting to become more Global. It is about to explode as a logistics hub with all the supply companies moving here and the new I-69 and I-22 that will open soon. Not to mention the new concept of the areotroplis they are trying to develop. 10 years from now Memphis will be a completely different city.

[sleepy]

Fanboys aren't exactly the most credible analysts in the world.

I especially enjoyed the deliberate or unintentional poor memory reduced in the thread when different naysayers tried to quibble with our logistic advantages. I refuse to join that for-pay site (it's still a pay site, right?) but Memphis is a logistic capital b/c of the combination of the following: 1) central location; 2) #1 cargo airport; 3) #4 inland water port; 4) #3 rail center; 5) and it's expanding in the following ways: a) adding 2 interstates and a new loop to the existing 2, with a third as a spur in the extended metro and a fourth rumored; b) 4 or all 5 of the rail roads have or are expanding ops; c) continued expansion at MEM as the Guard upgrades to C5s; and d) oh yeah, we're still centrally located with mild winters. This doesn't even include the number and size of trucking firms here. Find other cities with ALL of that going on or even comparable. Some numbnut tried to compare with NO. NO has more RRs serving it, and is higher on the water port list, but it doesn't have the others, and # RRs doesn't directly translate into size of a center (if there are 2 larger than Memphis, and 1 is likely Chicago, than the other would likely come from a list including StL and KC, and I have trouble including NO in that list, but maybe they are).

Taking just the definite expansions into account, and we are positioned for a boom logistically. Add the rumors and the unmet needs, and if we have the right vision, then the future is boundless. What do we need? Anything and everything would be the easy answer, but here's a more reasonable one: 1, preferably 2 new bridges to create an outer loop that includes Arkansas; important uses found for Blytheville and Millington that make a regional impact, such as major manufacturing from the aerospace sector and perhaps serving as relievers for MEM (such as Millington currently serves); additional manufacturing and tech jobs throughout the region (a very generic catch-all that probably should also include blah blah blahs such as improvements in ed, culture, tourism, etc); mass transit; a Memphis-KC interstate route (or something that will relieve the bottleneck of east-to-west traffic); locally-based growth in locally-owned logistics carriers and tech companies to improve our importance even further in the sector, instead of companies such as MS Carriers that sell out control (and prestige) to another city. As shallow and superficial as it sounds, it's important to retain control here in town from the highest levels possible in any company, that's the only way to inject pride and encourage similar growth and retention here, as well as securing stability from the job front for local workers.

[Rural King]

Lets get back on topic here. No need to bring in other sites or bring up critics of Memphis into what should be a positive discussion. I really don't want to close down what should be a very informative thread as this topic develops.

I would hope folks would be happy to see Memphis and the State of Tennessee land an international flight, as most of us would if it was another Tennessee city, but if some folks aren't happy with it than that's their perogative.

[sleepy]

Lets get back on topic here. No need to bring in other sites or bring up critics of Memphis into what should be a positive discussion. I really don't want to close down what should be a very informative thread as this topic develops.

I would hope folks would be happy to see Memphis and the State of Tennessee land an international flight, as most of us would if it was another Tennessee city, but if some folks aren't happy with it than that's their perogative.

[mempho]

Personally, I believe that if any airport is going to be called an international airport, they need to offer international flights.

I'm not up to speed on this subject, but how many international flights do Memphis and Nashville have a piece?

[sleepy]

Personally, I believe that if any airport is going to be called an international airport, they need to offer international flights.

I'm not up to speed on this subject, but how many international flights do Memphis and Nashville have a piece?

[mandrws1]

MEM was called an international airport beginning somewhere around the late sixties, way before it had any international flights at all. I think the criteria are that an airport have some full time customs facilites to process people or goods--in a sense it has more to do with that customs designation as an international port of entry than having international flights.

[northernbizzkit1]

Personally, I believe that if any airport is going to be called an international airport, they need to offer international flights.

I'm not up to speed on this subject, but how many international flights do Memphis and Nashville have a piece?

[memville]

Not to mention all of the international FedEx flights to europe and asia.

[northernbizzkit1]

Not to mention all of the international FedEx flights to europe and asia.