American Airlines Group Inc. will keep the right to fly between Los Angeles and Tokyo’s Haneda airport, after federal regulators rejected claims by Delta Air Lines Inc. that the privilege should be revoked because American failed to begin service quickly enough.
American has until March 27 to begin the flights to Haneda airport, the U.S. Transportation Department ruled. The carrier said this month that it would begin daily service starting Feb. 11, after securing favorable arrival and departure times from Japanese officials.

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“The department finds nothing on the record to suggest that, despite a brief startup delay, the anticipated benefits of American’s Los Angeles-Haneda service -– benefits that led the department to award it this authority –- will not be forthcoming,” the Transportation Department said in a ruling issued Wednesday.

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