Los Angeles is the largest U.S. West Coast market for Tokyo flights, and Delta would serve more passengers from the city with Boeing Co. 747s than American with smaller Boeing 777s, Susan Kurland, a department assistant secretary, wrote in the decision. Chicago-based United, the No. 3 U.S. carrier, had sought service from San Francisco.

‘Strong Hub’

Delta’s service is the best option in the central U.S. because Detroit is a “strong hub” for Asian service and offers good connecting service, Kurland wrote. Michigan and Ohio have “extensive industrial relationships with Japanese companies.”

American’s flights from New York’s Kennedy airport offer “greater public benefits” than Continental’s from Newark because they would boost alliance competition, Kurland wrote.

Delta’s SkyTeam and United and Continental’s Star alliances “hold significant positions” in the U.S.-Asia market compared with American’s Oneworld, the decision found.

Hawaiian would boost competition as a new entrant in the Tokyo-U.S. market, Kurland said.

Houston-based Continental, ranked fourth in the U.S. by traffic, and its Micronesia unit filed for routes from New Jersey’s Newark Liberty airport and Guam.

Atlanta-based Delta, the world’s largest airline, also applied for Haneda flights from Seattle and Honolulu.

Hawaiian proposed a second daily flight from Honolulu, where the carrier is based.