Oneworld alliance partners Japan Airlines (JAL) and Alaska Airlines have applied to the U.S. Transportation Department to deepen their existing codeshare pact.
The carriers originally teamed up in 2016 with a codeshare agreement and frequent flyer partnership, before expanding the arrangement in February 2018 to cover some former Virgin America routes, such as San Francisco to Boston, Denver and Newark.
The existing approval gives Alaska authority to display JAL’s JL code on flights between domestic points in the U.S., as well as to international destinations in Canada and Mexico.
The latest application expands the focus so that Alaska will be authorized to place its AS code on JAL’s routes between Japan and the U.S. If approved, the codeshare will cover JAL-operated flights between Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports and four points on the U.S. west coast, namely Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.
The airlines hope to have secured approval to begin operating these additional codeshare routes by mid-May. JAL said approval will “benefit consumers by providing additional travel options for passengers between the U.S. and Japan.”
Data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser shows that JAL offers daily service from both Haneda and Narita to Los Angeles International and San Francisco International. Seattle-Tacoma International is also served daily from Narita, while San Diego International receives four flights per week from Narita.
JAL and Alaska became codeshare partners in June 2016 as Alaska was pushing through its merger with Virgin America. The two then became oneworld partners in March 2021 when Alaska officially joined the global alliance.
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