American Airlines (AA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) will start their new transpacific joint business on April 1, the airlines have revealed.
The joint venture (JV) will mean the fellow Oneworld carriers share revenues on 10 transpacific routes, including Tokyo to New York, Vancouver, Chicago and Los Angeles.
Masaru Onishi, JAL's president, said the tie-up would improve the airline's profitability.
This time last year JAL was forced to file for bankruptcy after huge losses, but is now on track in a major turnaround after agreeing to remain with the Oneworld alliance, having rejected offers from rival alliance Skyteam.
"JAL is strongly committed to our corporate revitalisation," said Onishi, "and I am confident that this joint business will raise our competitiveness in this vital region, improve our profitability and aid us in achieving our goal."
As part of the tie-up, AA and JAL will increase the number of flights they codeshare on to 123, with further routes to be added in the future.
Before the start of the JV, JAL will move into the same terminal (3) at Chicago O’Hare International airport. The relocation is due to complete on March 27.
JAL and AA will this month also move into the same office buildings in New York and Tokyo, to allow employees to work more closely together.
Tom Horton, AA's president, said the two airlines are preparing for a decade of growth in air travel between North America and Asia.
"We firmly believe our joint business will benefit all stakeholders," he said.
The two airlines will also amend their timetables to reduce connection times for passengers. For example, AA’s flight from Dallas Fort Worth to Tokyo Narita will be timed so that the number of destinations that can be connected to within three hours will increase from four to 12.
Similarly, JAL’s Narita-Chicago flight will depart earlier in the day and AA’s flight will depart later in the day, which will increase from 43 to 45 the number of possible connections that cam be made to other destinations in the US within three hours of arrival into Chicago.
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