American Airlines (AAL) and Hawaiian Airlines (HA) are
separately vying for a direct flight route to Tokyo's Haneda
airport currently held by Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL).
Haneda, closest to downtown Tokyo, has traditionally handled
domestic flights. It has been increasingly offering international
flights, challenging rival Narita International Airport's status as
the primary gateway to Japan), as part of the Japanese government's
vision of a regional hub to handle a tourism boom and the 2020
Olympic Games.
Under a bilateral agreement, U.S. airlines may only operate up
to four daily round-trip flights at Haneda Airport. Currently,
Delta flies from Los Angeles and Seattle, Hawaiian Airlines from
Honolulu, and United Airlines from San Francisco.
Hawaiian Airlines is seeking approval for daily flights from
Kona International Airport, on Hawaii's Big Island, and American
for daily flights from Los Angeles. If successful, American would
compete directly with Delta and All Nippon Airways Co., which
already fly from Los Angeles to Haneda.
In October, American asked the U.S. Department of
Transportation, which allocates the routes, to revoke Delta's
rights to fly to Haneda, saying Delta wasn't fully utilizing its
Seattle-Haneda route. Delta said its lower flight frequency was
seasonal. The DOT is reviewing the matter.
-Megumi Fujikawa contributed to this article.
Write to Maria Armental at maria.armental@wsj.com
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