summary
- Delta Air Lines gave up its slots at Tokyo Haneda, leaving United Airlines with an opportunity to apply for the currently vacant slots.
- United Airlines has already applied to operate flights from Houston and Guam.
- Hawaiian Airlines has night slots to fly to Tokyo, but United Airlines requested those slots to operate its first-ever route from Guam to Haneda.
Delta Air Lines has officially relinquished its slots at Tokyo Haneda, which were supposed to receive flights from Portland International Airport. United Airlines hopes to quickly apply for the currently vacant slots in Tokyo and be allowed to operate flights from Houston and Guam.
Further flights to Haneda
Earlier this year, Delta Air Lines applied to extend its slot exemption at Japan’s Tokyo Haneda Airport, but United Airlines opposed the request. United Airlines said it is not in the public’s interest for Delta to receive a waiver at Haneda, one of the fastest growing international destinations since the coronavirus pandemic. United Airlines announced in May that it is prepared to open two new routes to Tokyo, one from Guam and one from Houston.
Photo: Ian Dewar Photography | Shutterstock
Delta Airlines waited until the deadline to submit a letter to the Department of Transportation saying it would not use the slot pair it was given, and United Airlines has already submitted an application for the currently vacant slots. Hawaiian Airlines has night slots for flights from Kona or Honolulu to Tokyo, but United said the carrier has no intention of operating that route. As a result, United Airlines requested Hawaiian Airlines’ slot service to fly from Guam to Haneda for the first time ever.
“Awarding these unused frequencies to United ensures that underutilized Haneda slots are ultimately maximized. will now be able to offer travelers convenient daily service between Houston, the major hub for Tokyo.” We offer Guam-Haneda service, expanding travel opportunities for tourists and business travelers to and from Guam. ” – United Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines is selling fares for only two of its five weekly flights and has no intention of using all five, according to United’s filing. United Airlines further added that it is not aware of any reason that would prevent DOT from splitting the use of slot pairs.
United Airlines’ Japan routes in December
Japan is a large part of United’s Pacific network. This December, United Airlines plans to fly 434 flights to Tokyo, just one of the Japanese destinations it flies to. Those 434 flights will be split between United’s eight hub airports and 12 routes from Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands in the United States.
Photo: Lucas Souza | Simple Flight
United Airlines’ busiest route is from Guam’s Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport to Tokyo’s Narita Airport, with up to four flights per day in December. The remaining routes from the mainland United States have daily flights to Haneda and Narita, and Saipan has four weekly flights to Narita. Below is a breakdown of United Airlines’ scheduled flights to Tokyo in December.
origin | destination | Aircraft type | Flight |
Guam | Narita | boeing 737-800 | 111 |
denver | Narita | boeing 787-9 | 31 |
newark | Haneda | boeing 777-200 | 31 |
newark | Narita | boeing 787-9 | 31 |
Washington – Dulles | Haneda | boeing 777-200 | 31 |
houston | Narita | boeing 777-200 | 31 |
Los Angeles | Haneda | boeing 787-10 | 31 |
Los Angeles | Narita | boeing 787-10 | 31 |
Chicago | Haneda | boeing 787-10 | 31 |
San Francisco | Haneda | boeing 777-200 | 31 |
San Francisco | Narita | boeing 777-200 | 31 |
Saipan | Narita | boeing 737-800 | 13 |
What do you think will happen to Delta and Hawaiian Airlines’ unused slots? Let us know in the comments below.