Press Release
Japan Airlines and American Airlines Announce Nonstop Service to Seattle, Strengthening Pacific Joint Business International Network
Japan Airlines (JAL), together with its Pacific Joint Business partner American Airlines, today announced that the carrier will expand its trans-Pacific network with service between Narita International Airport (NRT) in Tokyo and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), starting March 31, 2019*. This will be JAL’s sixth West Coast route operating between Japan and North America.
The top 20 U.S. cities with the highest travel demand from Japan account for 84 percent of the market and Seattle is the fifth largest destination after Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Las Vegas. By launching this route, Japan Airlines will respond to the travel demand in Seattle, where business and leisure travelers will have new options to fly to Japan and to connecting cities in Asia. JAL has established an optimal departure and arrival time to and from NRT, allowing customers to seamlessly connect throughout the carrier’s international network.
"We are pleased to announce the introduction of the Seattle-Narita route, which will go into service in March 2019. Along with our joint business partner, American Airlines, we look forward to welcoming more visitors to Asia for business or pleasure who will experience Japanese hospitality from the moment they step onboard the aircraft," said Tadashi Fujita, Executive Vice President of Japan Airlines.
“This new route will strengthen American and JAL’s joint business across the Pacific and meet the growing demand in the Seattle-Tokyo market,” said American Airlines President Robert Isom. “Our customers in Seattle will soon have nonstop service to one of the world’s most important business and leisure destinations, as well as convenient connections to many other cities in Asia.”
Currently, JAL codeshares with Alaska Airlines to 16 unique destinations on 25 U.S. West Coast routes. In conjunction with the new Tokyo-Narita to Seattle service, JAL will gain codeshare access to over 40 new cities on flights operated by Alaska. Through this expanded agreement, customers will be able to seamlessly connect in Seattle when traveling to and from Asia.
* The following flight schedule is subject to government approval.
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About Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines (JAL) was founded in 1951 and became the first international airline in Japan. A member of the oneworld® alliance, the airline now reaches 349 airports in 54 countries and regions together with its codeshare partners with a modern fleet of 230 aircraft. JAL Mileage Bank (JMB), the airline's loyalty program, is one of the largest mileage programs in Asia. Awarded as one of the most punctual major international airlines and a certified 5-Star Airline by Skytrax, JAL is committed to providing customers with the highest levels of flight safety and quality in every aspect of its service, and aims to become one of the most preferred airlines in the world.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. American is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose members serve more than 1,000 destinations with about 14,250 daily flights to over 150 countries. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. In 2015, its stock joined the S&P 500 index. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.