Categorized | Business

Hawaiian loses bid for Haneda-Kona route

Hawaii 24/7 Staff

According to Ann Botticelli, senior vice president of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Hawaiian Airlines has lost its bid to offer daily service between between Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport and Kona International Airport.

The airline received the news Thursday morning that the application was denied.

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a tentative decision Thursday awarding the Tokyo-Seattle route requested by Delta Airlines.

There is a 10-day period for response, but officials believe the chances are slim that contesting the decision will prevail.

In issuing its order, the DOT said:

“Allowing Delta to move from Detroit to Seattle would also advance one of the prime objectives we sought to achieve in our last Haneda proceeding, namely, seeking with our limited number of Haneda opportunities to address a diversity of public interest goals. We tentatively find that an outcome that brings first-time Haneda service and first U.S.-flag Haneda service to the sixth-largest O&D market, while also promoting the geographic diversity of the U.S.-Haneda gateways, would be consistent with our established approach for the award of limited Haneda slot opportunities and would best serve the public interest.”

Botticelli said the airline believed its application was extremely strong, and did the best job of outlining the public benefit provided to Hawaii and the United States of new Tokyo-Kona service.

Airline officials also thanked the Kona and Big Island communities for their support.

The last regularly scheduled flights – offered by Japan Airlines – to the Big Island from Japan ended service Oct. 29, 2010.

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