{"id":150,"date":"2010-12-18T11:50:34","date_gmt":"2010-12-18T08:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.haneda-airport.com\/news\/?p=150"},"modified":"2010-12-18T11:52:13","modified_gmt":"2010-12-18T08:52:13","slug":"jfk-haneda-route-great-for-partner-jal-american-airlines-chief-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.haneda-airport.com\/news\/jfk-haneda-route-great-for-partner-jal-american-airlines-chief-says\/","title":{"rendered":"JFK-Haneda route ‘great’ for partner JAL, American Airlines chief says"},"content":{"rendered":"

JFK-Haneda route ‘great’ for partner JAL, American Airlines chief says<\/p>\n

By SCOTT DIXON
\nKyodo News<\/p>\n

NEW YORK \u2014 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<\/a> on Jan. 20.<\/p>\n

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“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.<\/p>\n

“Specifically, the JFK to Haneda route is going to be very powerful,” Horton, 49, added.<\/p>\n

The lure of Haneda airport is its proximity to central Tokyo, about 30 km closer than Narita International Airport.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

The two U.S. airlines had been courting JAL, which filed for bankruptcy protection in January, with financial aid to help the ailing carrier.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

Looking forward, Horton feels “well-positioned” in the airline industry as American Airlines focuses on “being big where it matters, not necessarily the biggest.”<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n