TRAVEL

Japan Airlines (JAL) will be introducing its domestic JAL First Class service on a portion of daily flights between Tokyo, Haneda and Okinawa, Naha from August 1, 2012. Reservations and sales begin June 1, 2012.

This Valentine's day, JAL will be receiving chocolates in a very special way and from none other than the award-winning master chocolatier himself - Mr. Jean-Paul Hévin. In an exclusive collaboration, Hévin has created original products for JAL to be served in First and Executive Class onboard international flights from February 14, 2012.

Japan Airlines has announced today that it will begin offering high-speed Internet connection onboard select international flights from the summer of 2012, utilizing the reliable and tested technologies of Panasonic Avionics Corporation. Panasonic's broadband Ku connectivity solution eXConnect, will first be installed on JAL's fleet of Boeing 777s and introduced on routes between Japan and its gateways in Europe as well as in North America. The airline plans to eventually equip its entire long-range fleet with this function, subsequently expanding this service to the rest of its international network.

Japanese foreign ministry has announced it will further ease tourist visa restrictions for individual Chinese travelers from September 1 onwards as well as extend the duration of stay permitted, from 15 days to a maximum of 30 days, in a bid to revive tourism. The government currently only issues visas to individual Chinese travelers after assessing their occupation and income levels. After the new policy is implemented, financial restrictions will be abolished.

The Qantas Group, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd (JAL) and Mitsubishi Corporation announced today the launch of Jetstar Japan - a new domestic airline that will bring more low airfares to customers in Japan. The Qantas Group, JAL and Mitsubishi Corporation will each hold 1/3 share in the new company (voting-rights-basis). Jetstar Japan will commence domestic operations by the end of 2012 and expects to fly from Tokyo (Narita) and Osaka (Kansai International), with other destinations under consideration including Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Okinawa.

The news of the formation of AirAsia Japan Co Ltd, a joint-venture between ANA and AirAsia, is certainly going to travel throughout the whole of Japan and Asia. We see ANA trying very hard to expand itself vertically if not horizontally. Just beginning of this year, we were treated to the news of the creation of A&F Aviation Co Ltd, then later to Peach Airlines, also a joint-venture between ANA and HongKong Far Eastern Investment Group. The weird thing about it is that why would ANA be thinking of forming a low-cost airlines and based it in Kansai International Airport(KIX) Osaka, where in the last few years we heard constant news of foreign airlines backing out from this market.

ANA Group, Japan’s largest airline, and AirAsia, the world’s best low cost airline, today announced that they are teaming up to form AirAsia Japan, a new low-cost carrier. AirAsia Japan will be the first low-cost carrier to be based at Narita International Airport. Operating under the AirAsia brand, it is to serve both domestic and international destinations when commencing operations in August 2012, subject to obtaining the relevant approvals.

Star Alliance, the way the Earth connects, on July 6th, announced that its Chief Executive Board (CEB) has unanimously approved the application of Shenzhen Airlines to join Star Alliance.

Boeing Co. and All Nippon Airways on July 4, 2011 began an important validation of their readiness for the B787 Dreamliner’s entry into service. And throughout the coming days, ANA pilots, together with Boeing, will fly the B787 on actual airline routes in Japan using airline dispatch and flight rules. ANA’s mechanics and ground crews also will gain experience with the airplane in a simulated operational environment.

Some time has passed since I wrote the last article in this column. I initially started this series of reports with a motive to “update our overseas readers working for travel trade with the latest information about the Japanese travel market after the 3.11 earthquake.” Since the new developments relating to the quake aftermaths faded into the background, it became a bit difficult to round up fresh news.

Miyazaki-based low-cost airline Skynet Asia Airways on 12th May has announced to rename its new brand name to Solaseed Air with effect from 1st July coinciding with the delivery of its first Boeing B737-800 aircraft.

Looking at the photos, it is a shot taken in Fukushima on May 5 while I was traveling to Tohoku district from May 4 to 6 on my leave of absence. People in the world may have been imprinted by horrible scenes of “Tohoku” and “Fukushima” as news media reported gruesome spectacles of disaster- stricken sites and fears of nuclear power plant failure caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. However, I found people were leading normal daily life in Futamata Onsen (a hot spring resort), Aizu-Wakamatsu, and Fukushima city where I visited, all being inland towns in Fukushima prefecture.

Nestled along the coastline of the Japan Sea is the white Tottori Sand Dunes. The dunes' ever-shifting wind ripples on the surface and the changing colors of the seasons attract visitors year-round. This area is also being recognized as a venue for art events such as the "Sand Museum".

Effective from Apr1 onwards, the Passenger Service Facilities Charge (PSFC) or airport tax levied on all domestic flights arriving and leaving out of the following airports in Japan; Tokyo-Haneda airport, Nagoya-Chubu airport and Kita-Kyushu airport, have been revised.

As I reported a week ago, Japanese economy and travel industry have been hit hard by the chaos caused by massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11. Corporations are acutely agonized and far from doing "business as usual" because of a series of "unusual" events such as rolling blackout, irregular operation of public transportation systems, and worries over nuclear power plant failures.