Hawaiian Airlines Seeks to Expand Tokyo Service

File photo by Wendy Osher.

Hawaiian Airlines filed an application with the US Department of Transportation, seeking authority to operate two nonstop routes between Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan and Hawai‘i.

The application filed in Washington, DC, requests confirmation that Hawaiian Airlines will continue to operate its existing Honolulu-Haneda service during the daytime hours.

It also seeks additional authority to operate a second daily route from Haneda serving Honolulu four days each week and Kona International Airport on Hawai‘i Island three days each week.

Hawaiian’s request follows a proceeding established as a result of the February agreement between the US government and the government of Japan, which increases the number daily flights for US airlines to operate between Haneda and the United States from four to six.

“Hawaiian Airlines was among the first three US airlines granted route authority from Haneda in 2010, and our Honolulu service has been by far the most successful of the original services,” said Mark Dunkerley, president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines.

“We have more than held our own against much larger competitors,” said Dunkerley. “Allowing us to keep our authority for daily Haneda-Honolulu flights and to supplement them with new flights to Kona and to Honolulu will signal that the US DOT values competition from smaller, independent carriers against the mega-carriers advantaged by mergers and antitrust immunized alliance agreements.”

The application notes that Hawaiian has flown more passengers out of Haneda than any other US carrier. Its service to Honolulu has added $941 million to the US GDP, generated $564 million in direct spending and led to the creation of 2,337 new jobs.

Hawaiian asserts in its application that a second daily flight serving both Honolulu and Kona will create additional public benefits and satisfy a market that has pent-up demand for nonstop service.

Kona is the third-largest airport without nonstop service to Tokyo, with more point-of-sale Japanese passengers than 11 other US destinations that have nonstop service from Japan’s most populous city.

Hawaiian has requested a daytime slot for the Honolulu/Kona service, but has asked for consideration of a night-time slot as a second choice.

Hawaiian Airlines plans to serve these routes with its A330 aircraft, featuring 18 lie-flat seats in the Business/First cabin, 68 seats in its Extra Comfort class of service and 192 seats in the main cabin.

As it has with past applications, Hawaiian Airlines will be seeking petition signatures and letters of support for the route from all communities in Hawai’i. Information is available at action.hawaiianair.com.

Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com.

Flight schedules for the daytime slots are as follows: