The Curious Case of Japan’s New Low-Cost, Long-Haul Carrier
Skift Take
Japan Airlines is certain its low-cost, long-haul carrier will excel. That’s hard to say, as details are still so sketchy. But the project is intriguing and holds the promise of something fresh in the air. So it’s worth waiting a little while longer for the final reveal.
Japan Airlines (JAL) packed a roomful of delegates eager to know more about its new low-cost, long-haul carrier at last week’s Aviation Festival Asia. But details were scant, and the audience left without knowing a lot more.
They found that the key basics are still under consideration, even though an air operator’s certificate for the new airline is imminent. Details such as name of company, branding, senior management team, seating configurations, total number of seats, seats per row, seating segment mix, pricing, destinations, countries or airports served, specific routes, and actual start date have all not yet been decided.
It would have been extremely frustrating had it not actually been funny and curious, with the man heading the new venture, Director and Executive Officer Hiroyuki Uehara, starting his presentation by saying JAL had set up a new holding company for the new carrier called TBL Co.
TBL means To Be Launched. Seriously.
What’s Known so Far
Here’s wh
