In Tokyo today, the Japanese Transport Ministry made it official that it was withholding approval for United Airlines to expand its service between Honolulu and Osaka's Kansai Airport beyond the current daily flights. The ministry cited the United States' failure to approve Japan Airlines' Tokyo-Kona direct service, which was to have started today.
"We are suspending United's application for an increase in flights on its Honolulu-Kansai route," a ministry official said. "And we plan to suspend its application for an increase in flights for its Narita-Los Angeles route if the U.S. government still does not approve JAL's (Kona) application."
On Friday, JAL announced that it had to delay start-up of the direct Kona flights because it could not get U.S. approval for the route.
United today accused Japan of retaliating when it should be negotiating.
Meanwhile, instead of making its planned direct flight from Tokyo to Kona, JAL today added a Honolulu flight and brought in 327 travelers just before 9 a.m.
After customs and immigration clearances, they were split into three groups and put aboard Aloha and Hawaiian airlines flights to Kona, said Gilbert Kimura, a JAL spokesman.
He said Honolulu Airport was very congested.
Behind the dispute is United's stand, backed by the U.S. Department of Transportation, that Japan is improperly withholding permission for the airline's request to fly beyond Japan, from Osaka to Seoul, which United contends is allowed under existing agreements. United wants U.S. approval of JAL's Kona service to be conditional on Japan's approval of the Seoul route.
Gov. Ben Cayetano has said that Hawaii should not be held hostage in the U.S.-Japan dispute.
Mark Drusch, an executive with Continental Micronesia, questioned why the United States was taking a stance in favor of United's desire to move travelers from one foreign market, Osaka, to another, Korea. Continental is not involved in the dispute but also wants expanded Honolulu-Japan service. Drusch said the U.S. stance in favor of United is hurting Hawaii's tourism industry.