summary
- Delta Air Lines will cancel scheduled flights from Portland International Airport (PDX) to Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND) after negotiations with the Department of Transportation (DOT) broke down.
- Delta Air Lines tried unsuccessfully to exchange its Haneda landing slot to another U.S. airport. Currently, United Airlines is interested in acquiring flight slots from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) or Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM).
- Delta’s lackluster response to the Portland slot may be due to a lack of profitability potential.
After lengthy negotiations with the Department of Transportation (DOT), Delta Air Lines will discontinue its planned service from Portland International Airport (PDX) to Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND). The company originally planned to begin operating this flight after receiving a landing slot from the DOT when Haneda Airport opened up landing slots to U.S. airlines.
Photo: Raiken Martin/Shutterstock
Delta Air Lines tried to persuade the Department of Transportation to allow it to reschedule Haneda to another U.S. airport, but its efforts were ultimately futile. The airline is currently choosing to give up its Haneda slots offered by the Department of Transportation, and United Airlines is currently flying at either Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) or Antonio B. Wonpat. The airline has expressed interest in accepting slots from international airports. Guam Airport (GUM).
Background to this service proposal
In 2019, DOT received a small number of slots from Haneda Airport that were to be distributed to U.S. airlines to operate long-haul flights to the airport. Ultimately, those slots will go to United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and Hawaiian Airlines.
Delta was lucky enough to win five of these slots, with flights from Atlanta (ATL), Detroit (DTW), Honolulu (HNL), Seattle (SEA), and Portland (PDX). It may seem strange for DOT to issue slots to Portland since Portland is not a Delta hub, but the airline does offer long-haul service from PDX to Amsterdam with Airbus A330 flights. It is in operation.
Photo: Davidi Vardi I Shutterstock
Perhaps Delta’s slow response to acquiring the Portland slot is due to the lack of profitability potential between the city and Tokyo Haneda, especially considering it also acquired Seattle slots near Portland. This is thought to be due to the presence of Unfortunately, the DOT was not convinced by Delta’s insistence on relocating the slot to another airport, and elaborated in a statement:
“Consistent with our past practice, if any of the carriers selected for a Haneda flight wish to change their U.S. gateway, we will ensure that such requests are made on the basis of new and complete information. “We believe it is in the best public interest to consider such records, as well as any arguments and evidence that the requesting airline may submit in support of its proposed changes.” , would also provide an opportunity for potential discussion and evidence from other interested airlines. A community that supports alternative outcomes that it believes are most effective in maximizing the public good. ”
For the DOT, it makes sense that if Delta does not want to fly from Portland, the agency would reevaluate the public’s needs and redistribute the spots to the airline it believes would best serve the public. However, this will likely be a disappointment for Delta Air Lines, as it will lose the opportunity to operate the lucrative Tokyo-Haneda route from another hub such as JFK or Salt Lake City.
Photo: Nicholas Economou | Shutterstock
Ultimately, it is up to the DOT to decide who to reallocate this slot to. Hopefully, another airline will acquire the slot and operate the flight that the Portland community has been anticipating.
sauce: one mile at a time