American Airlines (AA) will begin operating a daily service between Los Angeles and Tokyo Haneda from February 11, 2016. Bookings for the new service will begin on November 8, 2015.
The announcement brings a close to the ongoing spat between AA and fellow US carrier Delta Air Lines over the flight slot at Tokyo Haneda.
As previously reported (see here), Delta originally owned the slot but was forced to relinquished control of it in June after being unable to adhere to the US Department of Transportation’s mandate that the airline holding the slot would have to operate a daily flight to the Japanese airport.
AA’s LA–Tokyo Haneda service will be operated by the B787-8, which will feature a two-class configuration, with 28 seats in business and 198 in Main Cabin (economy), with 57 of those designated as Main Cabin Extra seats that offer an extra five-inches of legroom.
American Airlines B787
Flight AA27 will depart LA at 1800 and arrive in Tokyo Haneda at 2300 the following day. The return service will see flight AA26 take off from Tokyo Haneda at 0130 and touch back down in Los Angeles at 1820 the day before.
The flight times are less than ideal, but this is because Tokyo Haneda restricts the arrival and departure of long-haul flights to off-peak hours. Delta used to face the same issue with its own Seattle–Tokyo Haneda operations too, with the outbound flight only arriving in Tokyo late at night, and the return flight taking off just after midnight.
Nevertheless, AA appears satisfied with the new route, with the airline’s chief marketing officer Andrew Nocella calling it a fantastic addition to AA’s growing network in Asia, and a great complement to its existing service to Tokyo Narita.
“We thank the Japanese authorities for working with us to find appropriate slot times, and the US Department of Transportation and the State Department for facilitating the process and recognising the importance of American offering year-round service to Haneda," said Andrew Nocella.
For more information, visit aa.com
Clement Huang
American Airlines B787
Flight AA27 will depart LA at 1800 and arrive in Tokyo Haneda at 2300 the following day. The return service will see flight AA26 take off from Tokyo Haneda at 0130 and touch back down in Los Angeles at 1820 the day before.
The flight times are less than ideal, but this is because Tokyo Haneda restricts the arrival and departure of long-haul flights to off-peak hours. Delta used to face the same issue with its own Seattle–Tokyo Haneda operations too, with the outbound flight only arriving in Tokyo late at night, and the return flight taking off just after midnight.
Nevertheless, AA appears satisfied with the new route, with the airline’s chief marketing officer Andrew Nocella calling it a fantastic addition to AA’s growing network in Asia, and a great complement to its existing service to Tokyo Narita.
“We thank the Japanese authorities for working with us to find appropriate slot times, and the US Department of Transportation and the State Department for facilitating the process and recognising the importance of American offering year-round service to Haneda," said Andrew Nocella.
For more information, visit aa.com
Clement Huang 
