American Airlines Inc. announced Thursday that it will offer daily, nonstop service between Los Angeles and Tokyo starting Feb. 11, returning to Haneda airport after a lapse of more than two years.
"It's important for our customers to have direct access to Tokyo Haneda," chief marketing officer Andrew Nocella said in a statement. Haneda is closer to downtown Tokyo than the other metropolitan area airport, Narita, in Chiba Prefecture.
The flight authority for American's new route was reallocated from Delta Airlines after a review by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Delta had drawn criticism from competitors for drastically cutting back the number of flights on its Seattle-Haneda route, inaugurated in 2013 but struggling to fill seats on a daily schedule.