The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has finalised the allocation of 12 additional Tokyo Haneda daytime slot pairs that it had tentatively awarded in a Show Cause order in May.

Earlier this year, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines submitted separate proposals for the use of the slots which will become available to US carriers with the start of the 2020 summer traffic season (late March 2020).

The added allocations are a result of changes to the US-Japan Open Skies agreement made in January this year.

According to a Final Order issued on Friday, August 9, the regulator distributed the 12 slots as follows:

Delta:

United Airlines:

American Airlines:

Hawaiian:

  • Honolulu (daily, year-round).

In its decision, the DOT said it had rejected Hawaiian Airlines' application for a greater share of the slots on the grounds that it would not be in the public interest given Hawaiian had already been allocated Haneda slots during a previous allocation proceeding. As such, it could find no further merit in Hawaiian's appeal and, in the public interest, had allocated Delta a daily slot for use in running its own Honolulu-Haneda service.

On Guam International Airport Authority's (GIAA) appeal for a portion of the slots to be allocated to United for Guam International-Haneda flights, the DOT said despite the tourism benefits such a service would offer to the Micronesian territory, it did not believe that allocating precious Haneda slots would serve its overall goal of maximising public benefits. As such, the appeal was rejected.

Unlike in previous route allocation proceedings, the DOT said it had decided against awarding any backup authorities despite requests from some parties.

In the event an operator is unable to launch its allocated route, the DOT said the public interest would be best served by awarding those unused rights on the basis of a fresh record and in light of the circumstances presented at that time.