On Wednesday December 22, 2010, 5:24 pm EST

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — American Airlines is asking for an extra month to start its new flights between new York and Haneda airport in Tokyo.

American won approval for the route last summer, and was supposed to start by Jan. 31. But a filing with the Transportation Department asks to delay the start until March 1. American said February is the slowest month of the year for bookings between the mainland U.S. and Tokyo and it doesn’t want to start with what it called a “revenue penalty.”

Just nine days ago American said it would start the route on Jan. 20, and offered extra frequent flier miles for anyone who bought a ticket.

Delta Air Lines Inc. was set to start the same route by the end of January. It was granted an extension in the fall and now plans to begin the flights on Feb. 19, said Delta spokesman Kent Landers.

Hawaiian Airlines, which won the right to fly from Honolulu to Tokyo Haneda, said in a filing that it does not oppose the delay for American but that it can add a second daily flight on the route if American has a “protracted delay” in starting its flights.

American is a unit of AMR Corp.

American Airlines seeks delay for Tokyo start

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