After a 14-year absence, Japan Airlines (JAL) returns to DFW Airport with service between DFW and Tokyo beginning November 30. The airline, which began flying to DFW in 1999, curtailed service after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.
Japan Airlines is a partner with American Airlines, which will add its code to the route.
American has already been operating service twice a day from DFW to Tokyo, via Boeing 777-200 aircraft. Japan Airlines will offer service four days per week with Boeing 787-8 aircraft, fitted with the airline's latest cabin interiors and seats in a three-class configuration. It's also considering scheduling daily service for spring 2016.
In a release, American Airlines spokesman Andrew Nocella says that the service complements what they already do. President of Japan Airlines Yoshiharu Ueki says that the company is pleased to return DFW to its international network.
"It becomes our eighth gateway in North America and our fourth U.S. service launch in just over three years," Ueki says. "By making full use of the efficiencies of the Dreamliner as well as capitalizing on our even stronger relationship with American Airlines, we are confident this resumed service will provide even more valuable links for commercial and cultural exchanges for our customers in both regions and beyond."
The return of JAL service brings the tally up to 18 weekly round trips between DFW and Narita International Airport. Customers traveling from Tokyo can connect to more than 200 cities throughout North, Central, and South America.
Japan Airlines was founded in 1951 and became the first international airline in Japan. A member of the Oneworld alliance, the airline now reaches more than 305 airports in 51 countries and regions together with its codeshare partners with a modern fleet of more than 220 aircraft. American and JAL commenced their Pacific Joint Business partnership in April 2011.
