American Airlines, others, object to reopening Tokyo Haneda route allocations

Three of the 4 US airlines serving Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, including American Airlines, want to keep flying their current routes to the Japanese capital’s close-in airport when daytime slots become available later this year. And they don’t think they should have to reapply to do so, according to filings with the DoT Tuesday. Delta Air Lines was the only one of the 4 US carriers not to file an objection to the DoT’s proposed process for allocating coveted slots at Haneda, which calls for wiping the current slate clean and instituting a new round of bidding. In its filing, American, which recently launched Los Angeles to Haneda service, called the decision to open all existing slots to a bidding process “arbitrary and capricious and contrary to law,” suggesting that it goes against precedent established in prior DoT route proceedings. <br/>