United Airlines has renewed its bid to launch the first route connecting Guam, the U.S. island territory in the Western Pacific, and Tokyo Haneda Airport after Hawaiian Airlines confirmed it will return seven nighttime slot pairs at the Japanese airport.
The Star Alliance member has submitted an application to the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) to introduce daily flights from Guam’s Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM) to Haneda from May 1, saying it remains “ready and eager” to make use of “this valuable slot that would otherwise go underutilized.”
United has previously urged the DOT to award it the nighttime slots held by Hawaiian so it could open a Guam-Haneda service, alleging that the slots were being “misused and underutilized.” However, Hawaiian contended that it planned to increase frequencies from Honolulu and Kona this winter, returning to daily service by March 2024.
The DOT therefore rejected United’s request in November 2023, explaining that it did “not find a basis to conclude that reallocation of the authority is warranted at this stage.” Despite this, the DOT said the dismissal was “without prejudice” and the carrier would be free to resubmit its application should an opportunity arise.
Although Hawaiian resumed the nighttime flights in October 2023 and has incrementally increased service throughout the current winter season, it says the Japan-Hawaii market is “still encountering headwinds” and therefore “does not forecast a turnaround in the performance” of the services. As such, the carrier has opted to relinquish the seven slots from April 2.
In its latest application to take over the slots, filed on Jan. 29, United says that as no other carrier has previously expressed any interest in applying for “even one” of the nighttime-only frequencies, it therefore believes that all seven frequencies are “uncontested and should be granted to United immediately.” The airline also pointed out that Guam’s government supports its proposal.
Chicago-based United already serves the Guam-Tokyo market 25 times per week—all of which are to and from Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Japan Airlines also serves GUM-NRT nonstop, flying five times per week with 767s.
United’s application for the Haneda slots come days after the carrier lost out to American Airlines for a daytime slot pair at the Tokyo airport that has been relinquished by Delta Air Lines. United wanted the slots so it could switch its existing route between Houston and Narita to Haneda, but the DOT has favored American’s bid to run flights between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport and Haneda.
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