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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
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Airline and City Look for Success Out of the Gate

Japan Airlines has seen a gradual liftoff in consumer interest, as the carrier prepares to launch its first direct service between San Diego and Tokyo on Dec. 2.

Since the airline began taking reservations in June, officials said, bookings have been running at approximately 50 percent of plane capacity for the first flights that will run four times weekly, on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

“We expect that to grow to approximately 70 percent as we get closer to daily service,” said JAL Chairman Masaru Onishi, during a recent media briefing at San Diego City Hall.

Japan Airlines has announced a March 1 start date for seven-day direct service between San Diego International Airport and Narita International Airport near Tokyo. Travelers were able to make reservations for those daily flights as of Nov. 14.

Through a translator, Onishi said the airline is looking to boost awareness of the San Diego destination within Asian markets, where the local region ranks 12th among consumers in demand for travel to U.S. cities, according to the carrier’s data.

More Aggressively Marketing

“That’s also what we’ve been doing through ConVis,” said Mayor Jerry Sanders, referring to the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We have recently been marketing San Diego more aggressively in Asia.”

Following last year’s addition of direct flights by British Airways between San Diego and London, which have recently been operating close to fully booked, local tourism officials have been focused on growing business and recreational travel from Japan and other Asian countries.

According to ConVis, the San Diego region currently gets about 74,000 visitors annually from Japan, spending an average of $4,000 during stays lasting around eight days. Tourism leaders have said those numbers are likely to rise dramatically with the new direct flights, boosting visitation from throughout Asia.

Tourism Impact

Airport officials have estimated that $2.3 billion is spent annually by visitors who arrive by air in San Diego, and international visitors stay longer and spend more than domestic travelers.

The San Diego region’s tourism industry generally has experienced healthy growth over much of the past two years, as a total of more than 31 million visitors from all destinations spent $7.5 billion at local businesses during 2011.

Japan Airlines officials said the carrier will initially deploy 12 workers locally to handle its new flights, including three staff members from Japan, six from the airline’s existing U.S. offices, and three new hires in San Diego.

Onishi said JAL in recent years has been focused on services geared to higher-demand cities for Asian travelers, including the West Coast hubs of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. With its recent entry into the Boston market, it has found staffing and other efficiencies that now make U.S. service expansion more feasible.

The Japanese carrier’s Tokyo-San Diego flights are the first in Southern California to deploy the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which JAL officials have said features cost-efficient design, size and fuel-use characteristics that also enable more long-haul flights.

Flights are being operated by Japan Airlines and marketed by American Airlines, through the carriers’ OneWorld alliance, with schedules and other information on the JAL website.

The carrier is using the 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft for the local service, with 42 business class and 144 economy seats. Travelers will be able to connect at JAL’s suburban Tokyo hub to other Asian destinations, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila and Taipei.

Economy seats on the Japan flights will include a 10.6-inch personal TV screen, and the executive class has seats that lie flat for sleeping. Between Dec. 2 and Feb. 28, the carrier said it will offer a special in-flight menu exclusive to the San Diego route, including a “JAL Original Hamburger in Sasebo style” — inspired by Sasebo, the sister city of San Diego near Nagasaki, Japan.

Business-class food options on the first flights will include beef Wellington and lobster Thermidor.

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