This spring, United Airlines plans to launch a new route to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND).
Starting May 1, the Chicago-based airline will operate daily Haneda service from Guam, the airline said Friday, citing approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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The announcement comes a day after American Airlines announced a June 28 start date for its Tokyo Haneda route from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) – also following formal approval from the DOT.
Tickets for both routes go on sale almost immediately: United will open bookings for the Guam-to-Tokyo route on Friday evening. American opens booking for its new JFK to Haneda route on Sunday.
A battle for slots at Haneda
It’s been a long, winding path for both airlines announcing these new Tokyo routes.
There is little space at Haneda in Tokyo, which is closer to the city center than Narita International Airport (NRT). Similar to New York area airports and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Haneda has a finite number of flights allowed; it is governed by rules known as slots.
Japanese authorities allocate a certain number of these slots to US airlines, and the US DOT decides which airlines to allocate them to. There was strong competition between the carriers for this. United had hoped to win a new nonstop flight to Haneda from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Instead, the DOT awarded these slots to American for its new JFK service, TPG reported last month. Formal approval came last week, the airline said.
However, United were successful in their bid to take over night slots at Haneda. It argued that these slots had been underutilized by Hawaiian Airlines since the start of the pandemic.
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Beginning in May, Hawaiian will operate nonstop flights from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu to both Haneda and Narita, per Cirium.
“[W]We are always looking for opportunities to give our customers more choice and strengthen ties between countries. This route – connecting Tokyo’s most convenient airport to our unique Guam hub – achieves just that,” Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning, said in a statement announcing the news on Friday. “I appreciate the support from the Ministry of Transport. in recognizing the importance of this route for our customers and stakeholders.”
United’s Guam-Tokyo route
United plans to operate its service from Guam International Airport (GUM) to Haneda using a Boeing 737-800 aircraft. It seats 166 customers, including 16 in premium domestic-style armchairs.
Here’s how the route shakes out:
- GUM-HND: Departure at 7:00 PM, arrival at 10:00 PM same day
- HND-GUM: Departure at 11:55 PM, arrival at 4:45 AM the next day
This new route is just United’s latest expansion into the Pacific.
It already operates 32 weekly flights between Guam and Narita.
Come May, this is what United’s roadmap to Haneda will look like, according to Cirium. It includes nonstops to all its US hubs, with the exception of Houston and Denver International Airport (DEN), from where it flies to Narita.
American’s new Tokyo service from JFK
American’s flights between New York and Haneda will start on June 28 with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft.
This is what the schedule looks like:
- JFK-HND: Departs at 11:25 AM, arrives next day at 2:30 PM
- HND-JFK: Departure at 4:30 PM, arrival at 4:35 PM
American sees this route as an addition to the existing JFK to Haneda service offered by its Oneworld alliance and joint venture partner Japan Airlines. It now operates the route with a new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft.
Meanwhile, American will continue to operate one daily nonstop flight to Haneda from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and two daily flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
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