Hawaiian Airlines (HA, Honolulu) has joined a growing chorus of US-based carriers that are urging the US Department of Transportation (DoT) to revoke Delta Air Lines's Tokyo Haneda traffic rights on the grounds that it is inadequately using the highly-prized slots. Under a US-Japan agreement, US airlines may operate a total of four daily round-trip flights per day at Haneda Airport, where operations are limited, with Delta occupying two of the slots, and United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) and Hawaiian the other two.

Echoing a previous objection lodged by rival American Airlines (AA, Dallas/Fort Worth), Hawaiian said Delta's recent decision to operate just 17 scheduled flights on its Seattle Tacoma International to Tokyo Haneda route over the period October 1 until March 28, 2015, showed that Delta was not committed to the DoT’s goal of expanding US air carrier access to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

"By converting, without DOT approval, its recently - awarded frequency between Haneda and Seattle to a seasonal route and flying just the minimum number of flights to avoid triggering the 90-day dormancy condition, Delta has demonstrated that it is not committed to Haneda service but to warehousing frequencies and protecting its hub at Tokyo Narita from the diversion of passengers through Haneda," Hawaiian argued.

The carrier further accused Delta of misrepresenting the route's viability when it applied to the DoT to switch its original Haneda service from Detroit Metropolitan to Seattle.

"Delta presented Seattle as a year-round market, never suggesting it was a seasonal market. Before representing that Seattle would be a sure-fire success, Delta had represented that Detroit Metropolitan would be a sure-fire success. Neither of these representations proved remotely true. By reducing its service to the minimum level to avoid the impact of the dormancy condition, Delta’s unilateral action violates the spirit, if not the letter, of Order 2013-2-4 awarding the Seattle frequency."

As a result, Hawaiian urged the DoT to reconsider its decision to permit Delta to switch its Haneda flights from Detroit to Seattle, and to modify the dormancy condition to require meaningful year-round service.

While endorsing American's proposal to revoke Delta's Haneda slots, Hawaiian rejected its rival's request to re-award the route to American which would then use it for its own year-round Los Angeles International services. Instead, Hawaiian stated, should the route be revoked from Delta and be offered back up to the US carrier market, Hawaiian's application will be for year - round service and full utilization of the available frequency.

"The Department should reopen the Order and clarify that the recipient is to provide consistent year-round service in accordance with the representations made in the proceeding leading up to the issuance of the Order."

Hawaiian currently offers a daily Honolulu to Tokyo Haneda service on board a A330-200.