United Airlines declared that it has submitted an application to the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for daily nonstop service between Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport. If authorized, United will be the first American airline to provide nonstop service between Houston and Haneda. This new route will cater to customers living throughout the Southern United States, 240+ Japanese-affiliated firms, and the constantly expanding Houston region.
64 locations in the South of the United States will be served by the flights, which will make up approximately 575,000 annual reservations to Tokyo, or 21 percent of the demand from the U.S. mainland to Tokyo. Houston has one international flight to Haneda, compared to five from New York/Newark, seven from Los Angeles, three from Chicago, and two each from Washington, D.C. and Dallas/Fort Worth. This new route will improve market parity and give business and leisure travelers the necessary seats and flexibility.
According to Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances at United Airlines, “the Houston area has transformed into a critical hub for business and leisure travel due to its steadily growing population and booming energy and innovation sectors.” “This new service, if approved by the DOT, will improve travel options to Tokyo Haneda for customers throughout the Southern United States and fortify the economic ties between Japan and over 240 associated companies in the Houston region.”
While running the largest route network of any American airline in the globe, United has worked hard to build a Japanese network to encourage competition and offer reasonable and reliable service options for travelers from the United States. Several flights are currently offered by United from its seven U.S. hubs to Haneda and Narita airports as part of its Tokyo service.
With more than 14,000 employees, more than 400 daily departures, including more than 70 daily foreign departures, United is the biggest airline in Houston. A recent Compass Lexecon study estimates that the gross domestic product in Texas is supported by foreign visitor spending on United and Star Alliance member flights, as well as the Huston hub of United. In 2022, direct employment from United contributed $1.2 billion to the local economy in Houston.
Houston is a major manufacturing, health care, and most significantly, energy industry commercial powerhouse. As an oil superpower, Japan has established strong economic links with Houston and the state of Texas. Houston was selected as one of the seven regional clean hydrogen hubs by the U.S. Department of Energy, in partnership with Mitsubishi Power Americas, a Japanese corporation.
In Texas, Japanese-owned companies employ about 70,000 people; in Houston, there are about 240 Japanese-affiliated companies. Moreover, Houston is home to 24 of the 53 Fortune 500 corporations that call Texas home. Over the past ten years, Japanese companies have reported 119 investment projects in Texas, resulting in a total of $6.9 billion in capital investment and the creation of 19,620 employment, according to the Texas Development Corporation.
However, Texas-based businesses announced 25 investment projects in Japan, resulting in 1,667 new jobs and $799 million in capital investment. Houston and Japan have more than just business links; Houston is home to Japan’s regional Consulate-General.
Source- Travel daily