United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) has raised objections to the proposed codeshare agreement between PAL Express (2P, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) and Philippine Airlines (PR, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) covering services between Guam International and Manila Ninoy Aquino International, seeking to leverage the agreement to obtain more slots at Manila airport.

In a filing to the US Department of Transportation (DOT), United said that while it "is not opposed in principle to Air Philippines' requested authority, [it] objects to the application to the extent it seeks benefits that are currently being denied to United and its customer base."

United went on to explain that it is interested in adding an additional daily service between Guam and Manila but "has been refused slots and other airport infrastructure necessary for its additional flight plans". Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines has increased capacity between Manila and the United States by nearly a third in the last year, launching a new route to New York JFK and adding frequencies to Los Angeles International and San Francisco.

The American airline argued that by not doing more to facilitate United's expansion in the Philippines, the Filipino government is acting against the letter and the spirit of the bilateral air services agreement. It asked the DOT to defer the decision until United's access to Manila is expanded.

Air Philippines does not currently serve the Manila-Guam market but plans to launch direct services in early March 2020 and has recently applied to the DOT to permit codesharing with parent Philippine Airlines on the route.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Philippine Airlines currently operates daily between Guam and Manila using A321-200 aircraft. United Airlines operates the route 9x weekly - daily directly using B737-800 jets and 2x weekly via Koror using B737-700s. Cebu Pacific Air (5J, Manila Ninoy Aquino International) also serves the route 3x weekly using A320-200s.