Japan Airlines to Launch Tokyo – Boston with Dreamliners

Japan Airlines (JAL) has confirmed that it will use its new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners to add a four times weekly link between Tokyo and Boston. The flight, which will operate under a codeshare agreement with fellow oneworld alliance member American Airlines, will be launched on April 22, 2012 and will be increased to daily schedule from June 1, 2012. JAL is due to inaugurate passenger flights with the 787 during the Northern Winter 2011/2012 schedules and plans to initially use the aircraft on some regional flights, most likely to destinations such as Singapore.

JAL will become the first carrier to offer direct flights between Tokyo and Boston and will hope to boost potential from both regions with connecting flights across Asia and Europe. Alongside its codeshare partnership with American Airlines it has also begun discussions to strengthen its US network structure with JetBlue Airways, utilising the carrier’s hub operations in Boston to provide customers more options and smoother connections to and from major destinations in the East Coast.

As the table above shows, despite no direct connections between Tokyo and Boston, an estimated 99,000 O&D passengers travelled between the two cities in the past year. The market is currently dominated by the US majors with passengers connecting via many of the big US hubs and JAL is even behind its rival All Nippon Airways (ANA) on existing traffic between the two points.

“I am pleased to announce the addition of Boston to our international network - our first new gateway in North America in 13 years,” said Masaru Onishi, President, Japan Airlines. “By making full use of the efficiencies of the revolutionary 787 as well as capitalising on our closer relationship with American Airlines, we are confident this new route will prove to be another valuable link for commercial and cultural exchanges between both regions, and more significantly, the onset of JAL’s growth strategies going forward.” JAL has confirmed that its 787s will be configured in a two class arrangement although the airline has not revealed exactly how many seats it will feature.

Boston, the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, is one of the oldest cities in the US boasting a rich history and is now emerging as a centre for higher education, economics, bio-tech research and culture on the country’s East Coast. It will be the fifth continental US gateway to be served by JAL, adding to the airline’s current daily operations between Tokyo and New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

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