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United Airlines is making a play for the slot that Delta Air Lines held for its recently cancelled route between Portland International Airport (PDX) and Haneda Airport (HND). But, that’s not all. The Chicago-based carrier is also trying to gain a slot currently held by Hawaiian Airlines.
$UAL has applied for the PDX-Haneda slot pair that @Delta gave up so that @united can fly Houston-Haneda, and it wants @HawaiianAir's Kona/Honolulu-Haneda slots to operate Guam-Haneda. pic.twitter.com/sjpjCbsXug
— David Koenig (@airlinewriter) September 25, 2023
As I wrote about last week, Delta has cancelled its route between Portland International Airport (PDX) and Haneda Airport (HND). It had asked the US Department of Transportation (DOT) if it could use the slot for another route, but was denied. United smelled blood in the water and has come in trying to secure the slot for a daily flight from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).
It also calls out Hawaiian Airlines for having a slot pair for flights from Kona International Airport (KOA) and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). United contends that Hawaiian has no intent to fly these routes and it wants the slot pair to start 5x weekly service from Guam’s Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM).
The 2010 US-Japan Memorandum of Understanding provides 17 daytime slot pairs and one nighttime/morning slot pair for US airlines flying to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND). Of the 17, American Airlines has two slots operating from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Delta Air Lines has flights to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Hawaiian has three slots from Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and United Airlines has five slots operated from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
If United picks up Delta’s former Portland slot, it will be even with Delta for slot allotment. If it also manages to get what Hawaiian is holding, it will then have the most routes to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND). If this is approved, United could start as early as December 1st.
Anthony’s Take: After Delta’s announcement and cancellation last week, it was only a matter of time before United would swoop in. We’ll have to see what the DOT decides.
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3 comments
If United uses it for IAH they will cancel NRT leaving a huge void with decent connectivity to SE Asia. ANA doesn’t have many 6pm options as NRT does.
DOT should award 5x to Guam and ask for proposals for 2/week service. Hawaiian should not have anything taken from them. United should only have a say in what they want and not dictate what will be taken from others.
From pdx, F you very much Delta and same to you United! Hope the DOT considers Portland now literally has one regular international flight and it’s to Amsterdam due to Nike traffic. Delta was supposed to launch PDX-Soul and has announced indefinitely delay on that route too, leaving a metro of 2 mllion without a nonstop route to ANYWHERE across the pacific. Obviously Portland pales in comparison to SFO & Seattle when it comes to Asian populations, businesses & economies, but it’s definitely a catch22 without a direct flight. Competition should not only exist out of the hubs the oligopolies prefer; mid-sized cities should get an allotment of international flights if the airlines want the slot.