AA to fight Delta for lucrative flight rights to Haneda

American Airlines (AA) has filed a request to US regulators asking to take over the flight rights to Tokyo-Haneda that are currently held by Delta Air Lines (Delta). According to an article by Bloomberg, AA believes that it will be able to provide a service that is “substantially superior to Delta's near-dormant Seattle-Haneda service”. Haneda Airport has become an increasingly popular travel port for passengers flying into Tokyo, as it is more conveniently located than Narita International Airport. In the filing, AA commented that it “vigorously opposes any use of these valuable Haneda rights on a seasonal basis”. Should the carrier gain access to Delta’s existing flight rights, it intends to leverage the benefits accordingly and operate a year-round service between Los Angeles and Haneda. According to AA, Delta only operates its Seattle–Haneda route often enough to ensure that it is in compliance with the outlines provided by the US Transportation Department. As there is a limit to the number of foreign flights into Japan, US regulators are tasked to oversee that the level of access is controlled. Delta has rebuked AA’s claims, with spokesperson Trebor Banstetter quoted by Bloomberg as stating that “reducing flights between some cities on a seasonal basis is a widespread practice among airlines”. For more information, visit aa.com and delta.com Clement Huang