Alaska Airlines has aspirations to place its flight numbers on JAL flights to and from Japan.
Japan Airlines (JAL)JAL and Alaska Airlines have submitted an application to the United States Department of Transportation to expand on their current codeshare collaboration. Two airlines teamed up in 2016 and since then they have continued to expand their partnership, with further expansion noted in 2018, including newly attained Virgin America routes.
The current authorization allows Alaska Airlines and Japan Airlines to share flight codes on domestic flights in the US, as well as flights to Canada and Mexico. This would allow Alaska Airlines to use its own flight numbers on Japan Airlines flights between the US and Japan. If the request is granted, Alaska Airlines flight numbers would be added to Japan Airlines flights from LAX, SAN, SFO, and SEA to HND and NRT airports in Tokyo.
Japan Airlines offers flights to four destinations on the west coast of the United States, including daily flights between Los Angeles and San Francisco, with routes to Tokyo Haneda and Tokyo Narita. Seattle is serviced daily from Tokyo Narita, while San Diego has four weekly connections to Tokyo Narita.
In March 2021, Alaska Airlines joined the oneworld alliance, thereby strengthening its partnership with Japan Airlines.
As reported by Aviation Week, a Japan Airlines spokesperson commented on the proposed codeshare: “The codeshare expansion will) benefit consumers by providing additional travel options for passengers between the US and Japan.”
