DOT tentatively awards 12 new Tokyo Haneda slots

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has outlined its proposed allocation of the twelve additional Tokyo Haneda daytime slot pairs that will come available for US carriers with the start of the 2020 summer traffic season (late March 2020).

Earlier this year, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines submitted separate proposals for the use of the slots which came about following changes to the US-Japan Open Skies agreement made in January this year.

A total of 19 slot pairs requested with each airline required to prioritise their proposals in order of preference as follows (Priority ranking at the head of each listing):

Delta: Applied for six daily Haneda slot pairs for use in serving the following US cities:

• 1. Seattle Tacoma International (daily, year-round);
• 2. Detroit Metropolitan (daily, year-round);
• 3. Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson (daily, year-round);
• 4. Portland International (daily, year-round);
• 5. Honolulu (daily, year-round);
• 6. Honolulu (second daily, year-round).

United: Applied for six daily Haneda slot pairs for use in serving the following US cities:

• 1. New York Newark (daily, year-round);
• 1. Chicago O'Hare (daily, year-round);
• 1. Washington Dulles (daily, year-round);
• 2. Los Angeles International (daily, year-round);
• 3. Houston Intercontinental (daily, year-round);
• 3. Guam International (daily, year-round).

American Airlines: Applied for four daily Haneda slot pairs for use in serving the following US cities:

• 1. Dallas/Fort Worth (daily, year-round);
• 2. Los Angeles Int'l (daily, year-round);
• 3. Dallas/Fort Worth (second daily service, year-round);
• 4. Las Vegas Harry Reid (daily, year-round).

Hawaiian Airlines: Applied for three daily Haneda slot pairs for use in boosting its existing daily Honolulu services. The application was for year-round service.

According to a DOT Show Cause order issued on Thursday, May 16, the DOT has tentively chosen to grant the following applications:

Delta:

• 1. Seattle Tacoma International (daily, year-round);
• 2. Detroit Metropolitan (daily, year-round);
• 3. Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson (daily, year-round);
• 4. Portland International (daily, year-round);
• 5. Honolulu (daily, year-round).

United Airlines:

• 1. New York Newark (daily, year-round);
• 1. Chicago O'Hare (daily, year-round);
• 1. Washington Dulles (daily, year-round);
• 2. Los Angeles International (daily, year-round).

American Airlines:

• 1. Dallas/Fort Worth (daily, year-round);
• 2. Los Angeles Int'l (daily, year-round).

Hawaiian:

• 1. One daily Honolulu service.

The regulator said it had given preference to proposals that would open up new services to the Japanese gateway from US cities that currently lack such connectivity.

"By making possible new services to hub airports in the Central and Eastern United States, along with services from hubs in the Northwest United States (Delta at Seattle) and the South Central United States (American at Dallas/Fort Worth), both of which also currently lack nonstop U.S.-carrier operated Haneda service, the Department tentatively seeks to establish a framework that will reach broad catchment areas across the United States," it said.

"The Department tentatively finds that the selections proposed here, particularly when viewed with the existing daytime Haneda gateways and services at Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Minneapolis St. Paul International, create a more geographically diverse network of Haneda gateways, one that should enhance U.S.-Haneda service across a wide area and for an extensive portion of the traveling public while promoting a more competitive marketplace. The Department tentatively finds that this allocation would be consistent with the Department’s established approach in cases such as this of using the selection process to address a variety of important public interest goals and thereby promote a range of public benefits."

Opposing parties have until May 30 to submit their responses.