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Haneda to welcome international flights
By Yuri Kageyama |
September 11, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Haneda airport will open up to international flights next month as Japan works to maintain Tokyo's status as an Asian travel hub. But it comes with a big catch for United States airlines which have been squeezed into the least convenient time slots.
Opening Haneda to international flights makes a lot of sense for travelers. It's just a 20 minute monorail or cab ride from downtown Tokyo. Narita, the Japanese capital's other airport, requires at least an hour train ride, and the trip can take more than two hours when traveling by car on clogged roads.
With Asia booming compared to the stagnation in other parts of the world, and the airline industry on a recovery track from the hammering it took two years ago, hopes are high that the October 21 start to international flights at Haneda will be a success.
They could bring opportunities in new kinds of travel among Japanese, including to Pacific resort islands, without hurting business at Narita. Tokyo, facing tougher competition from nearby airports such as Incheon in Seoul, also sees Haneda as an opportunity to protect its status as a vital stop for international airlines.
Yet the main beneficiaries from the change at Haneda are the two Japanese carriers, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, which is in bankruptcy protection after years of inefficiency and high costs brought it to the point of collapse. A handful of Asian carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Malaysian Airlines are also benefiting.
US airlines are being restricted to flights that leave or arrive between 10pm and 7am. The limited time slots made available to the Americans put them at a clear disadvantage since flights leaving in the early hours of the morning aren't popular with fliers. It takes two to three hours of maintenance and fueling for an aircraft to be ready for a new takeoff.
The two Japanese airlines, which dominate Haneda's domestic flights, already have many jets coming and going, allowing them to streamline aircraft rotations and efficiently schedule domestic and international flights at Haneda.
An American Airlines flight from New York must stay in Haneda for eight hours before it takes off, complete with airport parking fees. Adding to the uneven field is that the Japanese can also offer attractive flight links from other parts of Japan.
Opening Haneda to international flights makes a lot of sense for travelers. It's just a 20 minute monorail or cab ride from downtown Tokyo. Narita, the Japanese capital's other airport, requires at least an hour train ride, and the trip can take more than two hours when traveling by car on clogged roads.
With Asia booming compared to the stagnation in other parts of the world, and the airline industry on a recovery track from the hammering it took two years ago, hopes are high that the October 21 start to international flights at Haneda will be a success.
They could bring opportunities in new kinds of travel among Japanese, including to Pacific resort islands, without hurting business at Narita. Tokyo, facing tougher competition from nearby airports such as Incheon in Seoul, also sees Haneda as an opportunity to protect its status as a vital stop for international airlines.
Yet the main beneficiaries from the change at Haneda are the two Japanese carriers, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines, which is in bankruptcy protection after years of inefficiency and high costs brought it to the point of collapse. A handful of Asian carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Malaysian Airlines are also benefiting.
US airlines are being restricted to flights that leave or arrive between 10pm and 7am. The limited time slots made available to the Americans put them at a clear disadvantage since flights leaving in the early hours of the morning aren't popular with fliers. It takes two to three hours of maintenance and fueling for an aircraft to be ready for a new takeoff.
The two Japanese airlines, which dominate Haneda's domestic flights, already have many jets coming and going, allowing them to streamline aircraft rotations and efficiently schedule domestic and international flights at Haneda.
An American Airlines flight from New York must stay in Haneda for eight hours before it takes off, complete with airport parking fees. Adding to the uneven field is that the Japanese can also offer attractive flight links from other parts of Japan.
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