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Fed decision may
boost Hawaii-China air link

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By Russ Lynch
Star-Bulletin

A U.S. Department of Transportation decision could lead to additional airline service between Hawaii and China.

Northwest Airlines Corp. said today it is considering whether to use the new rights awarded yesterday to start one flight a week between Honolulu and China, perhaps a combination of passenger and cargo service.

If it does so, however, it likely would be a one-stop service via Northwest's significant Asian hub at Tokyo's Narita International Airport, said Northwest spokesman Doug Killion.

And Killion said the Minneapolis-based airline instead could use the added weekly rights for an additional flight to China from Detroit.

Northwest currently has two flights a day between Honolulu and Narita and seven flights a week from Narita to China, on Narita-Beijing and Narita-Shanghai routes.

No airline flies direct from Hawaii to China.

While it works out what to do with the new authority to provide one new flight a week to China, Northwest hopes to contest the government decision since the airline believes it gives an unfair advantage to competitor United Airlines.

"We don't agree with the DOT's award of two additional weekly flights to United and only one to Northwest," Killion said. The result would be 21 flights a week for United and 16 for Northwest.

The government approvals yesterday included a grant to United Parcel Service of six weekly cargo flights to Beijing and Shanghai from Ontario, California, and Newark, N.J.