JAL, ANA And JAS Team Up On Japanese Shuttle Service

JAL, ANA And JAS Team Up On Japanese Shuttle Service

By Maria Lenhart

In an unusual partnership, Japan's three major air carriers, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways and Japan Air Systems, have joined forces to offer shuttle service between Tokyo and Osaka. Launched July 1, the service operates by coordinating the three carriers' flight schedules between Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Osaka's Itami and Kansai Airports.

Along with coordinating their schedules, the three airlines also have increased their combined total of daily flights between Osaka and Tokyo from 28 to 35.

The shuttle is in service between 6:30 a.m. and 9:45 p.m. and consists of 12 flights in each direction on JAL, 13 on ANA and nine on JAS.

To promote the service, the three airlines jointly are marketing the shuttle and listing all the flights in their published timetables.

The carriers also have started a Japanese-language Web site, www.shuttle.ne.jp, which enables passengers to access flight information on the shuttle and make reservations.

While there is no central checkin counter for the shuttle that serves all three airlines, each airline has set up special checkin points at their ticket counters at Haneda and Kansai. At Itami, passengers go to the regular checkin desks.

According to a statement jointly issued by the three airlines, the motive behind the shuttle is to enable the airlines to capture a larger share of the busy travel market between Tokyo and Osaka. The carriers noted that "every year about 35 million travel between the Tokyo and Osaka regions, and the majority of these travelers use high-speed rail services. If the airlines are to capture a bigger share of this predominately business market, an original service concept is called for."

In other news, both JAL and ANA are adding some enhancements to their transpacific service. ANA, which introduced ANA Super Style service on its Chicago-Tokyo flights last year, recently extended the service to its Tokyo-New York and Tokyo-Los Angeles flights and starting in November plans to offer it on San Francisco-Tokyo flights. The service, which is available to first- and business-class passengers, is being offered on new B777-200ER and B747-400 aircraft that has been configured for the new amenities.

Among its features are a business center on the upper deck of the aircraft, which includes two desks, high-back swivel chairs with seat belts, two telephones, a fax machine, dataports and electrical outlets. On the main deck between the first-class and business-class cabins, the aircraft has a self-service bar counter with three seats where passengers can order beverages and light snacks.

In September, JAL is extending its electronic ticketing service to apply to all passengers flying all of its routes between North America and Japan.

In May, the airline, which already offers electronic ticketing on its domestic flights, launched the service in North America by offering it to members of the JAL frequent flyer program. The service applies to all normal airfares as well as published discount fares.