United Airlines Ready To Swoop On Tokyo Haneda Slots Given Up By Delta

Delta Air Lines has officially given up its slots at Tokyo Haneda, which would have been for flights from Portland International Airport. United Airlines wasted no time applying for the now-open slots in Tokyo and hopes to be allowed to operate flights from Houston and Guam.

More service to Haneda

Earlier this year, Delta Air Lines applied for an extension of slot waivers at Tokyo Haneda Airport in Japan, and United Airlines opposed the request. United stated it was not in the public’s interest for Delta to receive waivers at Haneda, one of the international destinations with the most extensive growth since the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, United expressed it would be ready to launch two new Tokyo routes, one from Guam and another from Houston.

Photo: Ian Dewar Photography | Shutterstock

Delta waited until the deadline to submit a letter to the Department of Transportation stating it would not use the slot pair awarded, and United has already filed an application for the now-open slots. Hawaiian Airlines has a nighttime slot pair to operate flights from Kona or Honolulu to Tokyo, but according to United, the airline shows no intentions of operating the route. Because of this, United has requested Hawaiian’s slots to operate the first-ever route from Guam to Haneda.

“Awarding these unused frequencies to United will ensure that these underutilized Haneda slot pairs are finally put to their highest and best use. These awards will allow United to serve the traveling public with convenient, daily service between United’s key hub at Houston, one of the largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. where demand for flights to Tokyo is among the largest in the U.S., as well as provide first-ever Guam – Haneda service, enhancing travel opportunities for tourism, and business travelers flying to/from Guam.” – United Airlines

According to United’s application, Hawaiian has only been selling fares for two of its five weekly frequencies and shows no indication of taking advantage of all five. United further added that it is unaware of any reason that would prevent the DOT from splitting the use of a slot pair.

United’s December operations to Japan

Japan is a massive part of United’s Pacific network. This December, United has 434 flights planned to Tokyo, just one of the several Japanese destinations it serves. These 434 flights are split among twelve routes from eight United hubs and Saipan, the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US Commonwealth.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

United’s busiest route is from Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Guam to Tokyo Narita Airport, with up to four daily flights in December. The rest of the routes from the continental US see daily service to Haneda and Narita, and Saipan has four weekly flights to Narita. Below is the breakdown of United’s scheduled flights to Tokyo in December.

What do you think will happen with the unused Delta and Hawaiian Airlines slots? Let us know in the comments below.