Comments on: US Airlines Begin The Fight for Tokyo Haneda Slots

By: SEMTSensei

SEMTSensei — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:56:50 +0000

Heard form JAL yesterday, and this is exciting – y’all write from the Business perspective, with which my husband agrees, however I look at this as an educator who regularly takes students to Japan. Closer will be lovely, and Narita is rarely anything but a pain. My first trip to Japan was in 1977, so to Haneda, and I look forward to going back!

By: David SFeastbay

David SFeastbay — Sat, 08 May 2010 00:04:43 +0000

Brian looks like DL got DTW and LAX and Hawaiian got HNL. Well I got one out of four quesses right…..lol

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:39:26 +0000

Detroit Metro Airport is reporting Delta has received permission to begin HND-DTW as well.

By: David SFeastbay

David SFeastbay — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:29:41 +0000

Looks like the awarding has begun. AA has been given JFK-HND-JFK start in October 2010.

So much for my quess was in February. I had said…. UA for SFO, DL for DTW, CO for EWR, and AA for LAX. Let’s see how I do with the other three awards…lol

By: CF

CF — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:24:00 +0000

RL wrote:

Have JL or NH indicated what their HND->US plans may be? When can we expect these flights to actually start? Thanks

I haven't heard a word, personally.

By: RL

RL — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:55:55 +0000

Have JL or NH indicated what their HND->US plans may be? When can we expect these flights to actually start? Thanks

By: RL

RL — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:49:54 +0000

Add me to the list of people who think the timing on these are awesome for the business traveler. Today, if I’m going NRT-SFO, my Star Alliance options both leave NRT before 5:30p. Last flight out on JL is at 6p. Even when UA adds its summer 7p flight, that still means I need to leave central Tokyo by 4p at the latest. Not ideal… and in the past this means staying in Tokyo one more night if I have a meeting that may run past 4p.

I’d love a midnight flight back to the West Coast from a close in airport, plus I get one more dinner in Tokyo before rolling into HND. Sign me up.

By: Saturday Links #77 - Things in the Sky

Saturday Links #77 - Things in the Sky — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:35:18 +0000

[...] A bunch of US airlines (American, Continental, Delta, Hawaiian, and United) are vying for access to Haneda, and Cranky has all the details. [...]

By: thetravelingoptimist

thetravelingoptimist — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:09:43 +0000

Andrew –

Given the late arrival times in to Haneda, as Cranky pointed out, if you’re only going to Tokyo these flights are fine. No airline in their right mind will transfer all service to Haneda, however because all of the intra-Asian connections they need, alliance partners or not, are at Narita.

Can’t get to Singapore through Haneda. Even if you could the flight will have left by the time your new US service gets there.

Kind of like train stations in Paris, the two airports currently serve distinctly different purposes. One is domestic, the other overseas and the Japanese have been accustomed to this since Narita first opened.

If connections at Haneda ever become possible the danger for US travelers might be boarding the wrong flight for the connection they need, like going in to Midway when they really need O’Hare. That scenario, however, is a long, looong way off.

By: CF

CF — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 04:51:15 +0000

It seems clear to me from the comments that these flights times are perfectly good . . . for some . Others won't like it, including me. But if enough people do like it, then that's all that matters. Now, to answer a few questions . . . Ron wrote:

A separate issue: we’re talking slots here, not routes, right? What’s to prevent a carrier from getting a slot and then changing the US gateway?

No, the US will give route authorities here to fill the slots that are being offered at Haneda. They won't be able to switch unless the DOT decides they can. LAFlyer wrote:

Does anyone else find it interesting that Delta put in Detroit instead of Atlanta?

I'm actually with David SFeastbay on this one. People in Tokyo are used to connecting via Detroit and it's a good place to connect throughout the upper Midwest and east coast. I think it makes more sense for now. The Traveling Optimist wrote:

What’s the one thing Haneda has in abundance that Narita never has? DOMESTIC JAPANESE CONNECTIONS!!!

A great point that I failed to address. I was talking about this with a friend and I was originally under the impression that there were enough connections from Narita when the international flights arrived, but that doesn't appear to be the case. It would be huge to be able to connect to some of these cities that may require a change of airport now. Brian wrote:

Actually there really isn’t a waste of time on the return flight from HND to LAX. Lets say you take a midnight flight from Tokyo on Wednesday morning, your arrival time in LA at 650pm is on TUESDAY. You will actually be going BACK in time six hours.

Just because the dateline plays games doesn't mean that you actually magically don't miss any time. If you leave on Wednesday after midnight, that's 7 or 8a on Tuesday on the west coast. You'll be on the plane for the entire working day on Tuesday. Andrew wrote:

The carriers that win, will they continue to serve NRT as well, or are they wanting to replace those flights with HND service?

I'm sure this will simply augment existing service, but I don't think anyone has said either way.