Pascrell Celebrates Awarding of New Tokyo Route to Newark Airport

DOT announcement follows Pascrell letter in support of EWR’s candidacy

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), reacted to the announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) that it was selecting four U.S. airlines operating from ten airports to provide new daytime service to Tokyo’s downtown Haneda Airport as early as the summer of 2020. Pascrell, a former member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, wrote to USDOT on March 6, 2019, urging it approve United Airlines’ application for a daily non-stop flight to Haneda Airport from Newark Airport. Pascrell’s letter is attached to this release.

“I am delighted that the Department of Transportation is agreeing with my recommendation to grant Newark Airport and northern New Jersey with this exciting opportunity. This new route for United Airlines to service Haneda Airport in Tokyo, one of only a handful approved, will further connect local residents and businesses in our region with one of the most desirable and vibrant cities in the world. EWR is already one of great travel hubs in the world and now it became just a bit greater still.”

Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation proposed to select four U.S. airlines to provide new daytime service to Tokyo’s downtown Haneda airport as early as summer 2020.

On January 25, 2019, delegations from the United States and Japan tentatively committed to amending the U.S.-Japan aviation agreement to provide for up to 12 additional daytime opportunities for U.S.-carrier operations at Tokyo’s in-town Haneda Airport.  DOT expects that the amendment would enter into force in time to permit the newly available U.S.-carrier services to begin with the start of the 2020 summer traffic season and in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In February 2019, DOT launched a proceeding to award the new opportunities and invited interested U.S. carriers to apply for allocation of the 12 anticipated newly available daytime Haneda slots.  The Department’s show cause-order issued today tentatively allocates the 12 available daytime Haneda slots as follows:

• American Airlines: Dallas/Fort Worth; Los Angeles
• Delta Air Lines: Seattle; Detroit; Atlanta; Portland, Ore.; Honolulu
• Hawaiian Airlines: Honolulu
• United Airlines: Newark, N.J.; Chicago O’Hare; Washington-Dulles; Los Angeles

Prior to 2019, the most recent amendment to the U.S.-Japan aviation agreement was reached in 2016, and provided for five U.S. carrier daytime Haneda flights, and one U.S. carrier nighttime/early morning Haneda flight.  The existing daytime Haneda opportunities are allocated as follows:  1) one to American for Los Angeles-Haneda service; 2) two to Delta for Los Angeles-Haneda and Minneapolis/St. Paul-Haneda service; 3) one to Hawaiian for Honolulu-Haneda service; and 4) one to United for San Francisco-Haneda service.  The sole nighttime Haneda opportunity is allocated to Hawaiian for service between Haneda and Honolulu (four times per week), and Haneda and Kona, Hawaii (three times per week).

Objections to the proposed allocations are due by May 30, 2019.  Following that, interested parties may file answers to those objections by June 10, 2019.  The DOT will consider all of this material before reaching a final decision.  Interested parties may track the progress of the case and view the publicly available documents at regulations.gov, Docket DOT-OST-2019-0014.