JAL extend award ticket ticketing deadline to 4 days before departure

Until now, if you want to redeem a JAL international award ticket through the internet, you will have to do so at least 7 days before your departure date. After that, you won't be able to search for availability of your flight. JAL has now upgraded its website to allow award redemption up to 4 days before departure date. The cut-off time will be at noon instead of 23:59 though.

JAL to introduce User-Preferred-Routes to Vancouver flights

Japan Airlines (JAL) will be introducing User-Preferred-Routes (UPR) on its Tokyo Narita (NRT) - Vancouver (YVR) route from December 19 2011. NRT-YVR will be the third destination country in JAL networks to take advantage of UPR after Japan - Honolulu and Tokyo Narita - Australia switching to UPR in August 2008 and June 2009 respectively. JAL estimates that this can save them a total of 220,000 lbs of fuel and therefore reducing approximately 315 tons of carbon dioxide gas emission a year

Boeing has finished repainting JAL's first 787

JAL 787 in new livery (Source: Boeing)

Boeing has issued a press release in Japanese with a picture of the first Boeing 787 to be delivered to Japan Airlines (JAL). They have just finished repainting the plane to JAL's new livery on Dec 13. This is just in time for JAL's special "delivery" tour. But unfortunately delivery date has slipped once again to Feb 2012.

JAL to maintain fuel surcharge at current level for February and March 2012

Once again, Japan Airlines (JAL) has expectedly announced that they will keep the current level of fuel surcharge on international tickets issued between February and March 2012. The 2-month jet fuel average is once again in the USD120-130 range and therefore zone G of the fuel surcharge table will be used. For more details of the upcoming fuel surcharge, you can refer to JAL press release (Japanese, English).

JAL and WestJet begin codesharing

Japan Airlines (JAL) and Canada's WestJet (WS) will begin codesharing from December 15 2012. This will improve connectivity of JAL's Tokyo Narita (NRT) - Vancouver (YVR) flights as currently JAL does not have a domestic codesharing partner in Canada. As a result, JAL will add 4 more Canadian cities, Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna and Winnipeg, to JAL's network. Reservations will begin on December 14 2012. Below are the schedules of the codesharing flights.

Super discounted upgrade award on flights to Guam

For those traveling on Japan Airlines (JAL) flights to Guam (GUM), JAL has announced a new discounted upgrade campaign that might be useful to you. A roundtrip upgrade from economy to business class will now cost 10,000 JMB miles instead of 20,000 JMB miles.

[Updated] JAL changes elite qualification and discontinues upgrade points

Japan Airlines (JAL) has announced planned changes in the JAL Mileage Bank (JMB) FLY ON Program. Specifically, the JMB elite qualification requirements will change from January 2012. JAL has added number of FOPs/sectors earned on JAL Group flights as extra requirements. And also a bit of more sad news is that the upgrade points program will be discontinued after this year. But if you pay attention to the explanation, this might mean a new lie-flat business class seat will finally come in 2 years or so.

JAL announces more 787 routes and SKY MANGA [Updated]

JAL 787 routes

[Update: Added confirmation for Japanese only offering at launch]


Japan Airline finally announced more Boeing 787 routes. Other than the Narita-Boston routes, JAL has added three more routes including Tokyo Haneda - Beijing, Tokyo Narita - Delhi, and Tokyo Narita - Moscow.

JAL updates 787 special page

New JAL 787 wallpapers on JAL website

Japan Airlines (JAL) promised us a mid-November 787 update but they didn't update their site until now. And disappointingly, the update was just a facelift of their 787 special page and 3 new wallpapers with 787 in JAL's current livery (oh well there's a 787 specification page with JAL livery too). But that's pretty much all the updates we get for now. JAL says the next update is early December (and we are in early December right now). We should hear more since the special delivery trip is only about a week away (departs on December 14)

JAL will use JAL SHELL FLAT NEO seats in long-haul 787 business class

JAL SHELL FLAT NEO seats (Source: JAL website)

Until now, Japan Airlines (JAL) has not indicated which business class seat will be used on its 787 flight to Boston (BOS). When you try to did a dummy booking of JAL website, it did not show the class and inflight entertainment system in the business class cabin (but MAGIC-V was shown in economy class one). But JAL has recently updated the website to show both the seat and IFE.