Summer Vacation North America Travel: A Comparative Analysis of Direct Flights from Tokyo vs. Flights via Taipei, Seoul, and Hong Kong — North American Strategies of Airline Alliances in the Summer 2026 Schedule

From East Asia to North America, direct flights from Tokyo are not the only option

When traveling to North America during summer vacation, the most common option for residents of Japan is likely a direct flight from Haneda or Narita. However, depending on airfare, miles, and itinerary, routes via Taipei, Seoul, or Hong Kong can also be viable options. Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, and Hong Kong are all major hubs for trans-Pacific routes, but their characteristics differ significantly when examining their networks to North America.

In our previous article comparing European routes, we saw the structure of how East Asian airlines funnel passengers to European hub airports such as Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, and Helsinki. In North America, the presence of Pacific Joint Ventures (JV) is significant, such as ANA and United Airlines in Tokyo, JAL and American Airlines in Tokyo, and Korean Air and Delta Air Lines in Seoul. Meanwhile, in Taipei, three Taiwanese airlines compete, and in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific operates a massive proprietary network. In this article, we will take a snapshot of one week in the summer of 2026 to compare these differences.

First, looking at Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, and Hong Kong by the numbers

The comparison period was set for one week from Monday, August 17, to Sunday, August 23, 2026. We covered Haneda and Narita for Tokyo, Taoyuan for Taipei, Incheon for Seoul, and Hong Kong International Airport for Hong Kong, tallying non-stop scheduled passenger flights to the U.S. mainland, Canada, and Mexico. Hawaii and Guam are excluded. Codeshare flights were counted as one flight by the actual operating carrier, not the flight number, and classified according to the alliance each airline belongs to at this time. Non-alliance airlines such as STARLUX, ZIPAIR, and Air Premia were classified as "Others." This is the author's tally based on schedules published and sold as of August 12, 2026.

Tokyo: Star Alliance 210 flights / oneworld 133 flights / SkyTeam 42 flights / Others 36 flights / Total 421 flights
Seoul: Star Alliance 72 flights / oneworld 13 flights / SkyTeam 161 flights / Others 36 flights / Total 282 flights
Taipei: Star Alliance 112 flights / oneworld 0 flights / SkyTeam 48 flights / Others 29 flights / Total 189 flights
Hong Kong: Star Alliance 35 flights / oneworld 117 flights / SkyTeam 7 flights / Others 7 flights / Total 166 flights

In terms of total flight frequency, Tokyo is overwhelming with 421 flights per week, with an average of about 60 flights per day heading to North America. However, in Tokyo, Star Alliance accounts for 49.9%, oneworld for 31.6%, SkyTeam for 10.0%, and others for 8.6%, meaning even the largest, Star Alliance, does not reach a majority. In contrast, SkyTeam accounts for 57.1% in Seoul, Star Alliance for 59.3% in Taipei, and oneworld for 70.5% in Hong Kong, showing that the power balance by alliance differs significantly even among major East Asian airports.

Tokyo: ANA/United vs. JAL/American, two Pacific JVs competing

The biggest feature of Tokyo is that two Pacific JVs, Star Alliance's ANA and United Airlines, and oneworld's JAL and American Airlines, are competing in the same market. ANA and United have been operating a Pacific Joint Venture since 2011, and JAL and American also began their Pacific Joint Business that same year. 2026 marks 15 years since the start of the JAL and American joint business.

On the Star Alliance side, ANA is the largest with 105 flights per week. In addition to 21 flights to Los Angeles, 14 to New York, 14 to Chicago, 14 to San Francisco, and 14 to Vancouver, it operates 7 flights each to Seattle, Washington, Houston, and Mexico City. United also operates daily flights from Haneda to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Newark, and Washington, and from Narita to Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Newark, totaling 70 flights. Furthermore, there are 28 flights by Air Canada and 7 flights by Singapore Airlines operating Narita-Los Angeles, bringing the Star Alliance total to 210 flights.

In contrast, oneworld totals 133 flights, with JAL at 91 flights and American at 35, plus 7 flights on the Narita-Seattle route. JAL has a wide range of routes centered on New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, as well as Dallas, Boston, Seattle, Vancouver, and San Diego. Regarding the Narita-San Diego route, while the initial plan announced by JAL in June 2026 stated daily flights from September, the subsequently updated flight plan showed daily flights from August 1, so it was counted as 7 flights for the target week.

American operates 2 flights daily from Los Angeles to Haneda, and daily flights each from Dallas to Haneda/Narita and New York to Haneda. In the JAL and American joint business, it is important not only to have trans-Pacific flights but also to be able to connect to American's extensive domestic network after arriving in North America.

In SkyTeam, Delta operates 35 flights in total, with daily flights from Haneda to Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and Seattle, and combined with Aeromexico's 7 flights on the Narita-Mexico City route, the total is 42 flights.

Among non-alliance carriers, ZIPAIR's presence is not insignificant. During the target week, it operated 29 flights in total, including 13 to Los Angeles, 7 to San Francisco, 4 to Houston, and 5 to Vancouver, and combined with WestJet's 7 flights to Calgary, "Others" totaled 36 flights.

In addition to the scale of 421 flights per week, Tokyo's largest alliance, Star Alliance, does not reach half the total, and the number of flights is distributed among oneworld, SkyTeam, and non-alliance companies. Among the four cities compared this time, it is the market with the lowest concentration in any single alliance.

Taipei: EVA, China Airlines, and STARLUX, North American competition among three Taiwanese companies

Taipei is even more interesting than the European routes. This is because the three major Taiwanese airlines are expanding their North American markets from different positions.

The largest force is Star Alliance with 112 flights. EVA Air accounts for the majority of this. EVA launched the Taipei-Washington route with 4 flights per week on June 26, 2026, expanding its North American network to 10 cities and 98 flights per week. EVA itself describes this as the largest North American network with the highest number of destinations from Taiwan. Adding United's 14 flights per week from Taipei to San Francisco, Star Alliance totals 112 flights per week.

In SkyTeam, China Airlines is the center. The company connects 7 cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Ontario, New York, Vancouver, and Phoenix. The Phoenix route was launched in December 2025 and is operated 3 times a week. During the target week, China Airlines had a total of 41 flights, and adding Delta's 7 flights from Taipei to Seattle, SkyTeam totaled 48 flights.

Furthermore, STARLUX further distinguishes the characteristics of Taipei. Although it is not a member of the three major alliances, as of summer 2026, it operates flights to five U.S. cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Ontario, and Phoenix. The target week includes a total of 29 flights: 7 to Los Angeles, 7 to San Francisco, 7 to Seattle, 4 to Ontario, and 4 to Phoenix.

As a result, Taipei has a tripolar structure: EVA (Star Alliance), China Airlines (SkyTeam), and STARLUX (non-aligned). The fact that there are zero oneworld flights operated by its own carriers under these conditions is also a major difference from Hong Kong. While EVA alone operates 98 flights per week, the emerging STARLUX has also expanded to 29 flights per week, indicating that Taiwanese airlines are prioritizing the North American market.

Seoul: The Massive SkyTeam Pacific Hub Created by Korean Air and Delta

Seoul has the strongest SkyTeam presence among the four cities. Of the 282 weekly flights, SkyTeam accounts for 161 flights, or 57.1%, with Korean Air's 112 flights and Delta's 42 flights at the center.

Both companies have been operating a trans-Pacific JV since May 2018. According to Delta, the joint network spans over 80 cities in Asia and over 290 cities in the Americas, with Incheon serving as a key connection hub. In the summer of 2026, Delta's Salt Lake City-Incheon route will be added, bringing the number of cities from which Delta operates its own flights to Incheon to five: Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Seattle, and Salt Lake City.

Korean Air further expands its routes to Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, Boston, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, and others. In particular, Atlanta is served by two daily flights each from Korean Air and Delta, totaling 28 flights per week between the two. This route clearly demonstrates the depth of the JV.

Meanwhile, as of summer 2026, Asiana Airlines remains in Star Alliance. Star Alliance has 72 flights, consisting of 40 from Asiana, 18 from Air Canada, and 14 from United. However, Star Alliance has announced that Asiana will officially withdraw on December 16, 2026, at 23:59 (Korea time). Therefore, summer 2026 will be the last summer Asiana spends as a Star Alliance member.

oneworld has 13 flights, consisting of 7 from American (Dallas) and 6 from Alaska Airlines (Seattle). Other flights include 26 from Air Premia, 4 from T'way Air (Vancouver), and 6 from WestJet (Calgary), totaling 36 flights.

While Star Alliance and oneworld both have large-scale North American networks in Tokyo, SkyTeam, centered on the Korean Air-Delta JV, accounts for the majority in Seoul. The total number of flights reaches 282 per week, second only to Tokyo, and the figures reflect that Incheon is one of the leading North American route hubs in East Asia.

Hong Kong: The Massive oneworld North American Hub Created by Cathay Pacific

Hong Kong has the clearest structure among the four cities. Of the 166 weekly flights, oneworld accounts for 117 flights, or 70.5%, all of which are operated by Cathay Pacific.

Cathay's flights for the target week total 117: 21 to Los Angeles, 21 to New York, 18 to Toronto, 17 to Vancouver, 14 to San Francisco, 7 to Boston, 7 to Chicago, 7 to Dallas, and 5 to Seattle. Cathay itself has announced that it will operate nearly 120 round-trip flights per week to nine North American cities in the summer of 2026, which is generally consistent with this fixed-week tally.

Star Alliance has 35 flights in total, with United operating two daily flights each to Los Angeles and San Francisco (28 flights total) and Air Canada operating 7 flights to Vancouver. SkyTeam consists of 7 flights on Delta's Los Angeles route, which resumed in June 2026, and 7 flights on Hong Kong Airlines' Vancouver route.

In Hong Kong, unlike Tokyo and Seoul where JVs with U.S. airlines play a major role, Cathay Pacific itself maintains a large-scale proprietary network to nine North American cities. This is a characteristic also seen in its European routes, and the overwhelming share of oneworld in Hong Kong is established by Cathay's long-haul route network.

Even within East Asia, the ways of connecting to North America are completely different

Comparing the four cities, the total number of flights is as follows: Tokyo (421), Seoul (282), Taipei (189), and Hong Kong (166). However, the way each network is built is completely different.

Tokyo has low concentration in any specific alliance because the two major Pacific JVs—ANA/United and JAL/American—compete, with Delta and ZIPAIR also participating. In Seoul, SkyTeam, centered on Korean Air and Delta, accounts for the majority. In Taipei, the three Taiwanese carriers—EVA, China Airlines, and STARLUX—are developing the North American market from different camps, and in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific alone handles about 70% of North American flights.

In Europe, it was important how to utilize European hubs such as Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam. In North America, in addition to that, it is important how to connect to the vast North American networks held by American, United, Delta, Air Canada, and others after crossing the Pacific. Therefore, the presence of Pacific JVs is particularly significant in Tokyo and Seoul.

For travelers, Tokyo's strength lies in its overwhelming number of flights and variety of options. On the other hand, depending on the airline, alliance, fare, and mileage conditions used, routes via Seoul, Taipei, or Hong Kong can also be options for traveling to North America. Lining up the figures for the four cities clearly shows that even for routes from the same East Asia to North America, airlines are building their networks in different ways.

Aggregation Conditions and Reference Information

The aggregation period is August 17–23, 2026. The scope includes non-stop scheduled passenger flights from Tokyo (Haneda/Narita), Taipei (Taoyuan), Seoul (Incheon), and Hong Kong (Hong Kong International Airport) to the continental United States, Canada, and Mexico. Hawaii and Guam are excluded. Codeshare flights are counted as one flight under the actual operating carrier. Priority is given to official airline announcements and schedules; for routes where it is difficult to confirm daily operations for the target week using official websites alone, flight schedule databases were used as a supplement. As this is based on information published and available for sale as of August 12, 2026, the actual number of flights may change due to subsequent cancellations, service reductions, or increases.

Key Reference Information

ANA "International Route Information"
https://www.ana.co.jp/en/jp/guide/plan/airinfo/int-routeinfo/

JAL "FY2026 North American Route Operation Plan"
https://press.jal.co.jp/ja/release/202606/009570.html

ANA "Joint Venture with United Airlines"
https://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/company/pickup/pickup_alliance2.html

EVA Air "Announcement of New Taipei–Washington, D.C. Route"
https://www.evaair.com/en-us/about-eva-air/news/news-releases/2026-02-11-evaair-new-route-taipei-to-washington-dc.html

STARLUX North American Route Information
https://www.starlux-airlines.com/flights/en-us/

Delta Air Lines "Korean Air Partnership"
https://www.delta.com/us/en/airline-partners/korean-air

Star Alliance "Asiana Airlines to Exit Star Alliance"
https://www.staralliance.com/news-article?groupId=20184&newsArticleId=OZ_EXIT

Cathay Pacific "Summer 2026 North American Network"
https://news.cathaypacific.com/cathay-pacific-connects-hong-kong-and-seattle-with-a-five-times-weekly-direct-service-2syesq

Delta Air Lines "Announcement of New Hong Kong–Los Angeles Service"
https://news.delta.com/delta-deepens-lax-investment-new-service-hong-kong-and-chicago

oneworld "Hawaiian Airlines Joins oneworld"
https://www.oneworld.com/news/oneworld-welcomes-hawaiian-airlines