JFK-Haneda route ‘great’ for partner JAL, American Airlines chief says
By SCOTT DIXON
Kyodo News
NEW YORK — After winning an aggressive battle with Delta Air Lines Inc. over lucrative trans-Pacific routes, American Airlines Inc. President Tom Horton is enthusiastic about the opening of a new flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Jan. 20.
“We’re very excited about the future with Japan Airlines,” Horton said in a recent interview at American Airlines headquarters in Dallas. “I think this is going to be great for American Airlines and for JAL.
“Specifically, the JFK to Haneda route is going to be very powerful,” Horton, 49, added.
The lure of Haneda airport is its proximity to central Tokyo, about 30 km closer than Narita International Airport.
“People are excited about being able to fly and land close in to Tokyo,” Horton said. “It’s going to cut the travel time significantly.”
The two U.S. airlines had been courting JAL, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January, with financial aid to help the ailing carrier.
The debt-ridden airline apparently decided to strengthen its existing ties with American Airlines to avoid the costs and risks that would be entailed in defecting to the rival Delta-led SkyTeam alliance as it undergoes a government-led restructuring process under a three-year plan.
After receiving antitrust immunity from the U.S. Department of Transportation in October, Horton is looking toward the future with JAL and how to “operate our business together, as one.”
The former chief financial officer explained that one-way customers will benefit from the strengthened relationship is joint scheduling, creating “the most efficient and most convenient schedule.
“I think the joint business agreements are really a big part of enhancing the customer experience,” Horton said. “I think the customers are excited about that.”
Looking forward, Horton feels “well-positioned” in the airline industry as American Airlines focuses on “being big where it matters, not necessarily the biggest.”
The second-largest American carrier was one of the only so-called legacy airlines in the United States not to file for bankruptcy in the past decade.
“It was a tough decade,” Horton said. “But I think in some ways . . . it made the company stronger. We got a lot leaner, we moved a lot of costs, we became more efficient.”