The United States and Japan are amending their Open Skies
agreement to allow U.S. carriers to operate daytime flights at Tokyo's Haneda
Airport for the first time since 1978, according to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo.
The agreement shifts the four arrival/departure pairs for
U.S. carriers from nighttime to daytime and adds a fifth daytime slot. U.S.
carriers also can maintain one total night slot pair at Haneda. Daytime flights
could begin as early as the fall, according to the embassy.
Both United Airlines and American Airlines cheered the
announcement. American, which began nonstop service between Los Angeles and
Haneda this month, said the earlier arrival times would "allow more
convenient connections to American's robust network out of LAX." United
anticipated "more convenient access to this key market from our San
Francisco hub."
Delta Air Lines, which relinquished
its Haneda slot to American after reducing service from Seattle, is
"deeply disappointed," maintaining that the agreement does not add enough
slots for another carrier, namely Delta, to establish a presence there. "(Haneda)
will remain a severely restricted airport with limited competition," Delta
executive vice president and chief legal officer Peter Carter said in a
statement.
United's partnership with All Nippon Airways and American's
with Japan Airlines give each an advantage even if Delta regains a Haneda slot.
Meanwhile, additional U.S. service to Haneda could pull business away from
Delta's hub at Narita International Airport, which is farther from Tokyo.
"Delta is committed to doing our best to
maintain the viability of our current Asian route structure and our
Tokyo-Narita hub for as long as possible, recognizing that commercial impacts
are imminent," according to Carter. "Delta will make a careful
assessment and adjust our network accordingly."