Japan Airlines Plans to Leverage North Texas Market

Japan Airlines is making a plan for growth as Toyota moves its headquarters to north Texas.

Following a recently launched nonstop service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT), Japan Airlines officials are investigating new opportunities to take advantage of the north Texas market. The company is not planning on adding more flights at the moment but is looking into larger planes with first-class seats.

“Right now our [Boeing] 787 doesn’t have first-class seats. But maybe many of the VIPs of Japanese companies or U.S. companies will use our direct flight,” Masaru Onishi, director and chairman of Japan Airlines told the Dallas Morning News. “Our thinking is to put a larger aircraft with first class seats [on the route]. That’s the first issue for us.”

The airline is expecting increased interest in these flights because Toyota recently relocated its headquarters to Plano, Texas, bringing more than 3,000 employees along in the transition. Tourism in Japan has also increased, showing a need for more transportation options to get there.

“Right now, we’re focusing on the appeal of the treasure of Japan. Japan has over 2,000 years of history, and we can find potential treasures,” Onishi said. “I’d like to dig it up and we’d like to appeal to the world.”

Japan Airlines operates its DFW flights in partnership with American Airlines, sharing revenues and encouraging a move to more alliance-based industry competition.

“From the aspect of operational efficiency and economics, it is very difficult for one airline to expand globally to cover a worldwide network,” Onishi said. “But the customers’ desire is to use one product. If we have a world network, maybe the customer will be satisfied. But it is very difficult for us [to do alone] so we must shake hands with partners.”

[Photo: Japan Airlines/Airbus]