BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

_________________________________________

 )

In the matter of ) 

 ) Docket DOT-OST-2010-0018

2010 US-Haneda Combination Services )

Allocation Proceeding )

_________________________________________)

ANSWER OF THE

 DELTA MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 

OF THE AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL

IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION OF DELTA AIR LINES

Communications with respect to this document should be addressed to:

Timothy S. O’Malley

Chairman

Delta Master Executive Council

Air Line Pilots Association, International

100 Hartsfield Centre Parkway, Suite 800

Atlanta, Georgia 30354

Tim.OMalley@alpa.org

August 8, 2012
BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

________________________________________

 )

In the matter of ) 

 ) Docket DOT-OST-2010-0018

2010 US-Haneda Combination Services )

Allocation Proceeding )

________________________________________)

ANSWER OF THE

 DELTA MASTER EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

OF THE AIR LINE PILOTS ASSOCIATION, INTERNATIONAL

IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION OF DELTA AIR LINES

The Delta Master Executive Council, the Delta chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, 

International (the “MEC”), strongly supports the Motion of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (“Delta”) to 

permit the carrier to move its daily Detroit-Haneda slot pair to the Seattle gateway. The DetroitHaneda market has not performed as expected, and for this reason Delta has proposed that it be 

permitted to move the gateway to Seattle. Delta’s Motion makes the case for providing Delta 

the flexibility to move one of its two Haneda gateways. The MEC fully supports this Delta 

request.

Unlike other U.S. passenger carriers serving Tokyo, Delta is the only carrier without a 

major Japanese partner, much less one that operates under an exemption from the antitrust laws. 

As such Delta is at a structural disadvantage vis-à-vis its U.S. carrier competitors in the U.S.-

Japan market. Implicitly the award of two Haneda slot pairs to Delta in 2010 addressed this 

competitive imbalance in the U.S.-Tokyo market because unlike American and United, Delta 

would have to compete harder for its share of Tokyo traffic. The DOT should continue to 
Answer of Delta Master Executive Council

August 8, 2012

Page 2 of 3

emphasize the need to foster competition between the immunized carriers and Delta by 

permitting Delta to move one of its Haneda gateways. 

Delta originally had identified the Seattle-Haneda market as its number one priority based 

on careful market planning considerations. The DOT authorized Delta to serve two of the other 

gateways for which Delta had also requested Haneda slot pairs. Allowing Delta to move one of 

its two Haneda gateways to a better performing gateway—one with greater structural 

advantages--thereby strengthening the Delta system is in the best interest of the traveling and 

shipping public and the 80,000 worldwide employees of Delta, including the 12,000+ members 

of the Delta chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association, International. At the same time, the 

traveling public will gain by the initiation of new nonstop Seattle-Haneda service, as Seattle is 

currently the largest U.S.-Tokyo market without nonstop Haneda service. This benefit will be 

felt not only in the local Seattle-Tokyo market but also in the entire northwest region catchment 

area served by Delta and its domestic code share partners, Alaska and Horizon. In making its 

initial awards of Haneda slot pairs, the DOT emphasized as selection criteria both local market 

size and supporting traffic from the gateway catchment area. These factors strongly support the 

request of Delta to move a Haneda slot pair to the Seattle gateway.
Answer of Delta Master Executive Council

August 8, 2012

Page 3 of 3

For the reasons set forth above, the MEC strongly supports the Delta request to allow the 

carrier to move one of its two Haneda gateways to Seattle and urges the DOT to expeditiously 

grant Delta’s Motion.

Respectfully submitted,

Timothy S. O’Malley

Chairman

Delta Master Executive Council

Air Line Pilots Association, International
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing Answer in Support of the Motion of 

Delta Air Lines, Inc. has this day been served by electronic mail on the following 

individuals:

sascha.vanderbelle@delta.com

carl.nelson@aa.com

Francis.Heil@aa.com

Robert.Wirick@aa.com

dan.weiss@united.com

thomas.bolling@united.com

howard.kass@usairways.com 

benjamin.slocum@usairways.com

jhill@dowlohnes.com

paul.gretch@dot.gov

keith.glatz@dot.gov

esta.rosenberg@dot.gov

todd.homan@dot.gov

urskr@state.gov

eugene_alford@ita.doc.gov

info@airlineinfo.com

August 8, 2012