JAL set to fly with SkyTeam
TOKYO – JAPAN Airlines faces a crucial week ahead as it weighs up its future opportunities.
The airline, which lost about $A1.67 billion in the six months to September, has said it plans thousands of job cuts and a drastic reduction in routes as part of its efforts to return to profitability.
Its shares rose strongly yesterday after the Japanese Government agreed to expand a financial lifeline to the troubled carrier, easing fears that it might file for bankruptcy.
The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that JAL president Haruka Nishimatsu is eying an alliance with Delta and the SkyTeam airline group, ending its current ties with American Airlines and the oneworld alliance.
The two U.S. carriers have made rival offers of financial aid, keen to gain a greater foothold in Japan and access to JAL’s network to the rest of Asia.
“(Switching to SkyTeam) would involve a big process of changing systems, but (we need to consider) whether or not to value Asia,” Nishimatsu told the Asahi.
“In that sense, SkyTeam has many Asian carriers.”
JAL said it would make a decision on which overseas partner it would choose early January.
Ian Jarrett
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