Amendment to Japan – USA Open Skies Agreement allows daytime trans-Pacific flights to Haneda

Not since 1978 have there been daytime flights between Japan and the USA. However, as a result of in-depth talks between the Japanese and US governments it has been announced from Tokyo that daytime flights from Haneda, the closest airport to Tokyo, will commence by fall this year. Currently, U.S. airlines have four slot pairs (four arrivals and four departures) at Haneda, all restricted to use during nighttime hours. As a result of the proposed amendment, the four slot pairs can be transferred to daytime hours. On top of this a fifth daytime slot pair for scheduled service to and from Haneda will be added and U.S. airlines would be allowed to continue operating one nighttime slot pair. This is a proposed amendment to the 2010 Open Skies agreement between the two countries and a number of U.S. carriers have expressed firm interest in offering daytime service to Haneda.
According to the US State Department: “Under the current agreement, US airlines have a total of four slot pairs (four arrivals and four departures) for service to and from Haneda, which are now restricted to use during nighttime hours. Under the proposed amendment, these four slot pairs would be transferred to daytime hours.
“In addition, a fifth daytime slot pair for scheduled service to and from Haneda would be added and US airlines would be able to continue operating one nighttime slot pair. Several US carriers have expressed strong interest in offering daytime service to Haneda, and their passengers will benefit from convenient access to downtown Tokyo.”
United were extremely up-beat about the news and according to Scott Kirby, the airline’s president, – “Offering daytime service to and from the heart of Tokyo will create appealing new business and leisure travel opportunities for our global customers … we look forward to providing more convenient access to this key market from our San Francisco hub.
“It’s important for our customers to have convenient access to downtown Tokyo during the day, and this agreement also allows for desirable arrival and departure times in the US for Haneda service,”
Three additional US carriers fly the transpacific route from the US west coast and Hawaii to Haneda: United Airlines, which flies from San Francisco; Delta Air Lines from Los Angeles and Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu.
However, according to a statement from Delta EVP-chief legal officer Peter Carter, the airline is “deeply disappointed with the final agreement reached between the US and Japanese governments to incrementally open the Tokyo-Haneda airport. Tokyo-Haneda will remain a severely restricted airport with limited competition. 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. Delta will make a careful assessment and adjust our network accordingly.”