Delta Air Lines asks for flexibility on Haneda flights
By Tadayuki YOSHIKAWA
Delta Air Lines (DAL/DL) has introduced “Haneda Gateway Flexibility”, a system that allows flights to Haneda from anywhere in the United States for a limited period of three years, for departure and arrival slots at Haneda Airport allocated to US airlines. DOT). In 2019, Haneda’s daytime flight slots were allocated to each airline, but due to the impact of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the return of passenger demand is uneven. is advocating.
—Article Summary—
・USA – Tokyo recovery rate 49%
・7 Haneda routes and lounges
USA – Tokyo recovery rate 49%
Delta made a proposal to DOT on May 1, local time. In 2019, the number of slots allocated to U.S. airlines at Haneda was 5 slots per day (5 round trips) for Delta, 4 slots for United Airlines (UAL/UA), and 2 slots for American Airlines (AAL/AA). , Hawaiian Airlines (HAL/HA) has one slot, and this proposal allows each company to have up to two slots to fly to Haneda from anywhere in the United States. It proposes a framework for continuous regulatory oversight and, if necessary, a DOT-administered reexamination after a three-year probationary period, limited to three years.
Delta Air Lines proposed to DOT to give flexibility to Haneda route=July 2021 PHOTO: Tadayuki YOSHIKAWA/Aviation Wire
Regarding the situation at the time slots were allocated in 2019, Delta said, “The global economic situation is stable, demand for travel between the United States and Asia and between the United States and Tokyo is healthy, and demand trends are reasonably predictable. It was time,” he explained. “The pace of recovery has been slow and the outlook for demand remains uncertain. Business travel to Asia in general and Tokyo in particular continues to lag behind 2019 levels and other international markets today.” He pointed out that the recovery of business demand, which is essential for maintaining the Haneda route, continues to be delayed.
Passenger numbers between the US and Tokyo in the year to March this year have recovered by 49%, less than half of 2019, according to Delta. The average recovery rate for the top 20 cities for long-haul international flights from the United States was 72%, with Tokyo having the lowest recovery rate among the 20 cities.
Comparison of US-international average and Tokyo passenger recovery rate for the past year to March 2011 (from Delta Air Lines data)
7 Haneda routes and lounges
Delta currently has slots allocated to operate direct flights to Haneda from seven cities: Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle and Honolulu. Passenger demand in all seven cities is down 65% from 2019, the company said.
Reception for the new lounge “Delta Sky Club” that Delta Airlines will open at Haneda Airport=July 28, 2010 PHOTO: Yusuke KOHASE/Aviation Wire
As of the first quarter (January-March) of this year, the recovery rate of the four routes that have resumed direct flights is 64% for Atlanta, 61% for Los Angeles, 59% for Seattle, and 58% for Detroit compared to 2019. Of the three routes that have not resumed direct flights, Minneapolis (reopening on March 25) accounted for 46%, Portland 42%, and Honolulu 18%.
Delta will open the Delta Sky Club, a lounge for frequent flyers, in Haneda on July 29, 2022. It is the only Sky Club outside the United States and the only US airline lounge at Haneda. Initially, it was scheduled to open in the summer of 2020, but it was postponed due to the influence of the new corona.
Delta says it’s been going through a tough time, with one of its longtime corporate clients telling the company that it cut its travel budget by 50% this year. It seems that the company decided that it would not be able to capture passenger demand under the current conditions, as the upfront investment in Haneda had increased.
Delta also criticized Haneda as “the only airport among the open skies (aviation liberalization) member countries that is not truly open under the terms of the agreement.” “Slot and gateway restrictions are like double handcuffs for American airlines,” he said, calling for the removal of restrictions on departure locations.
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