American Airlines Launches Nonstop Flights Between New York-JFK and Tokyo-Haneda

American Airlines confirmed and announced the schedule for its route between John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) on February 21. This announcement comes almost one month after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) tentatively approved the route.

American will use its Boeing 777-200ERs for the route, which consists of 273 seats in the following configuration: 37 business, 24 premium economy, 66 main cabin extra, and 146 main cabin seats. Starting on June 28, the flight will depart from JFK at 10:25 a.m. and arrive the next day at HND at 1:30 p.m. local time. The return leg will depart from HND at 3:30 p.m. and arrive on the same day at JFK at 3:35 p.m. local time.

[JFK,HND]

American's Presence in Japan

While American Airlines will be the sole U.S. airline operating between New York-JFK and Tokyo-Haneda, it will serve the route with All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines. This announcement is big news for the carrier as the new route serves as its fourth daily nonstop flight to the country, with one daily flight from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and two from Los Angeles (LAX). 

Robert Isom, American's CEO, thanked the DOT and Oneworld partner Japan Airlines for supporting the new route. He claims that "together, [they] are well-positioned to offer customers a comprehensive network between two of the most robust economies in the world." 

American Airlines also flies from its DFW hub to Tokyo's other airport, Narita Airport (NRT). Serving both Tokyo airports gives travelers more flexibility in choosing which airport to fly to. While most travelers prefer Haneda for its proximity to Tokyo, travelers looking to connect onward to other international destinations will have slightly more options from NRT, as partner Japan Airlines has a larger international presence there. 

However, this gap is narrowing significantly as both ANA and Japan Airlines are increasing their domestic and international presence at HND. Travelers who want to visit other cities in Japan cannot fly directly with American Airlines, as it terminated service from the U.S. to Osaka and Nagoya in the early 2000s. However, American Airlines passengers can use Oneworld partner Japan Airlines to connect to other Japanese cities. 

Japan Airlines and rival ANA serve multiple daily flights from HND and NRT to major cities, often on widebody aircraft like the Boeing 777-300. Passengers can also fly on budget airlines like Star Flyer and Solaseed Air or even take the Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed bullet train. 

Winning Slots

In the late 2010s, as airlines attempted to shift their flights to the more convenient Tokyo-Haneda Airport (HND), they had to fight for daytime slots from the DOT. By 2020, Delta had shifted all its flights to HND, while American and United had moved only some. 
 

These are the U.S. carriers serving HND:

• American Airlines: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Los Angeles (LAX). Service to New York (JFK) will start on June 28.
• Delta Air Lines: Atlanta (ATL), Detroit (DTW), Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP), and Seattle/Tacoma (SEA).
• Hawaiian Airlines: HNL. Flights to Kailua-Kona (KOA) will launch on May 1.
• United Airlines: Chicago (ORD), LAX, Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), and Washington, D.C. (IAD). Service to Guam (GUM) will begin on May 1.

American has a smaller presence at HND than Delta and United. In 2023, American and United fought over the slot after Delta relinquished its seventh daily slot from Portland (PDX) to HND due to poor profitability. United proposed a service between Houston-Intercontinental and HND, which would allow it to transfer its current operation of the route from Tokyo-Narita (NRT). United also accused American of cherry-picking an easy destination and not showing how a sixth HND flight from New York-JFK would be "beneficial to the traveling public." 

While the DOT contended that both American and United offered attractive proposals, American won the slot because it would better achieve the "principal objective of maximizing public benefits." The DOT claimed having American serve the route offers a competitive option for travelers between the two largest cities and financial hubs for each country. Also, it claimed that traffic demand between the two destinations justifies additional HND service. 

New York to HND would still be underserved relative to Houston if United were to have won the slot. Passengers traveling between the United States and Japan will now have another option. As tourism in Japan has skyrocketed post-COVID, American's new service is a welcome addition for American travelers visiting Japan.