FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Airlines today formally submitted an application to the United
States Department of Transportation (DOT) proposing to operate
daily, year-round, nonstop service between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and
Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND). Per
the U.S.-Japan bilateral
agreement, U.S. airlines may only operate a total of four daily
round-trip flights at Haneda Airport. Currently that service is
provided by Delta Air Lines from Los
Angeles and Seattle,
Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu,
and United Airlines from San
Francisco. American's application seeks to transfer an
existing route authority from Seattle, and would provide new service to
Haneda from American's hub in Los
Angeles.
"With only four authorized daily flights for U.S. airlines
between Haneda and the United
States, it is imperative that American be allowed to
compete," said American's President Scott
Kirby. "We are the only U.S. global network carrier without
the authority to operate our own aircraft at Haneda. American's
proposed Los Angeles-Haneda service will increase competition in
the Haneda market and make the most of underutilized operating
rights by giving millions of consumers and shippers a new, viable
travel option to Haneda that they don't have today."
In December, the DOT instituted a carrier-selection proceeding
to determine whether current service between Seattle and Haneda should be reallocated to
another airline. Citing underutilization of a scarce resource,
American seeks a reallocation of the Haneda authority. The airline
intends to fly it year-round with daily service from Los Angeles. American's application is in
response to the DOT's decision to consider the best allocation of
the slots.
"On behalf of American's 14,000 pilots, we look forward to
competing on this important route," said Capt. Keith Wilson, President of the Allied Pilots
Association. "Asia presents the
next frontier for the world's largest carrier, and our pilots stand
ready to compete with nearly 200 daily departures from LAX, flying
the youngest fleet of the U.S. global network carriers."
"On behalf of 25,000 flight attendants at American, we fully
support our airline's effort to operate from LAX to Haneda," said
APFA National President Laura
Glading. "American's product, in particular the inflight
service provided by our world-class flight attendants, will be a
very attractive option for customers traveling between Haneda and
the West Coast."
American would provide important consumer and competitive
benefits in the Haneda market, by competing head-to-head with other
carriers on the Los Angeles-Haneda route and bringing the
first-ever oneworld service to the LAX-HND market to compete
with other alliances. American's proposal would also enhance the
overall competition for service between the U.S. and Tokyo. Los
Angeles is the largest continental U.S. gateway to
Tokyo and demand in the
Los Angeles-Tokyo market is almost five times larger than
Seattle-Tokyo.
American is the leading airline in Los
Angeles and has a rich history as Southern California's premier carrier,
including 80 years of serving Los
Angeles. American has nearly 200 daily departures at LAX,
the only three-class transcontinental service, and unrivaled
customer service on the ground and in the air.
American is in the midst of more than $2
billion in planned improvements to give customers a superior
travel experience around the world. These capital investments
include fully lie-flat seats; international Wi-Fi; more in-flight
entertainment options; a new, modern design for Admirals Club
lounges worldwide; and an upgraded assortment of complimentary
healthy food, cocktails and more.
American will operate its proposed LAX-HND service with a Boeing
777-200 aircraft. The airline is retrofitting all 47 of its
777-200s to refresh the cabins and enhance the premium experience
on international flights. The retrofitted 777-200 features a
Business Class product designed especially for American Airlines
customers, with a fully lie-flat seat, direct aisle access and a
private flying experience. The plane has a modern interior –
including a walk-up bar – with unique lighting, a dramatic archway
and a spacious look. It also has Main Cabin Extra and all Main
Cabin seats have in-seat entertainment systems.
American is encouraging customers and employees to voice their
support of its proposal to operate Los Angeles-Haneda service by
visiting aa.com/LetAAFlyHaneda and tweeting using the hashtag
#LetAAFlyHaneda.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines Group
(NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for American Airlines and US
Airways. Together with wholly owned and third-party regional
carriers operating as American Eagle and US Airways Express, the
airlines operate an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to 339
destinations in 54 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort
Worth, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The American Airlines
AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles programs allow members to
earn miles for travel, vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays
and everyday purchases. Members of both programs can redeem miles
for tickets as well as upgrades to First Class and Business Class.
In addition, AAdvantage members can redeem miles for vacation
packages, car rentals, hotel stays and retail products. American is
a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members
and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily
flights to 150 countries. Connect with American on Twitter
@AmericanAir and Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines and follow US
Airways on Twitter @USAirways.
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SOURCE American Airlines