JAL and China Eastern sign deal to elevate alliance

Japan Airlines (JAL) and China Eastern Airlines (China Eastern) have signed a deal to further strengthen its partnership by coordinating flights and operations that will improve the passenger experience.

Back in 2002, JAL and China Eastern began offering codeshare flight operations between their home countries, Japan and China, which allowed passengers to use their frequent flyer miles with both carriers. And now to expand the partnership, the two agreed to form a new venture; a tie-up that will cover flights between the two countries, improving the passenger experience and generating more passenger traffic.

JAL and China Eastern have signed on to apply for and implement a joint business to include JAL’s domestic network of over 50 cities in Japan and over 80 of China’s domestic routes operated by China Eastern.

“More benefits, more choices, and more value to our customers”

Yoshiharu Ueki, chairman of Japan Airlines, said: “We are delighted to announce that China Eastern and JAL plan to broaden our partnership in each market. We look to bring more benefits, more choices, and more value to our customers. We believe this partnership will generate more passenger traffic between the two countries and open up commercial opportunities.”

With this new venture, JAL and China Eastern will now review regulatory conditions and apply for a joint business agreement through the authorities. If approved, China Eastern and JAL will strive to deliver more convenient travel options to customers with a comprehensive network throughout China and Japan.

“This cooperation will inject fresh dynamic into the aviation market”

Ma Xulun, president of China Eastern Airlines, said: “The joint business between China Eastern Airlines and Japan Airlines is a new cooperation on the basis of the broad market prospect in Sino-Japanese routes and the cooperation development trend in the global civil aviation industry. This is the common strategic choice for both of us facing the future and customers. Meanwhile, this cooperation will inject fresh dynamic into the aviation market of China and Japan, and benefit not only the development of our two airlines but also the people between the two sides achieving great results.”