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JAL unveils revamped “crane” logo

Published: 19/01/2011 - Filed under: News »

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Japan Airlines is to reintroduce the familiar “soaring Japanese red-crown crane” as its new logo, in a move “symbolizing a fresh start for the airline group”.

The “new” logo, which features the bird with its wings extended in full flight, was first registered as a trademark by JAL in 1959, and was used on the carrier’s livery for more than 40 years “during the period of JAL's international network expansion”.

The logo will be introduced from April 1, and will gradually be phased in over the next few years on the airline’s fleet, signage, name tags and stationery, with JAL’s Boeing 767-300ER aircraft the first to be repainted. Staff uniforms will however remain unchanged.

In a release JAL said that the symbol of the crane “has come to be associated with the nation's distinct hallmarks of pristine quality and reliability”, values that the carrier says it is “determined to safeguard”.

The Japanese carrier has undergone a corporate restructuring programme over the last year in a bid to return to profitability, with its workforce being cut, loss making routes scrapped, and its fleet size reduced by over 100 aircraft.

JAL’s membership of the Oneworld alliance had been subject to much speculation in early 2010, with rival alliance Skyteam and its founding member Delta offering financial support to the ailing carrier. But the carrier ultimately opted to stay with Oneworld, and has since signed a transpacific joint venture agreement with fellow alliance member American Airlines.

For more information jal.com.

Report by Mark Caswell

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COMMENTS » 

ncb90210 - 20/01/2011 14:12

I'm a frequent flyer on JAL, living in Tokyo these past 3 years. JAL has the reputation of an overweight and out of touch business, with regular shock stories of poor management decision making.

Here's another one.

Indebted for billions of yen, I don't know how those management dinosaurs can imagine this change of logo has any merit.

First of all, how come they can find all the money required to repaint their aircraft? Why was researching this a priority? Who did they sample, nostalgic over 60s travellers who are literally a dying breed?

From a visual point of view I see no cohesion between the 'cheap font' used on the fuselage and the old fashion red crane on the tail. There's no brand consistency between this measure and keeping uniforms the same either...what is the brand message?

The crane is yesterday's mark...a 1960s logo simply does not represent a 'fresh new start'. As for 'pristine quality & reliability' I think JALs reputation is far behind ANA.

For me, this represents the paradox that is Japan. 'Brand Japan' appears to the outside world as innovative & all about quality & efficiency.

But another world lurks inside.....old men make decisions about the future based only on their view of the past.

Desperately disappointing.

EricYuDysanco - 20/01/2011 16:22

There was nothing wrong with JAL's current livery but I am glad that they're bringing back the red crane, perhaps the combination of the red crane and the current livery would be good too.

OzTraveller - 20/01/2011 20:40

JAL have changed their colour/styling so many times in the past and now they bring back the old fashioned crane logo .. pity the staff that have been sacked to cut back on expenses .. anyone know how much it costs to re-paint an aircraft? .. one staff member's annual salary I would guess .. old men at the top, indeed

observer - 23/01/2011 00:40

While the 1960's red-crown crane logo is a pretty one, it seems like the JAL management is putting the priorities of the airline wrong . Because of its huge financial loses, JAL staff are losing their jobs and all management do is "spend" - sorry, "waste" - millions of dollars to rebrand the airline. What good would that do? Would that attract more people flying it? I doubt it very much. Seems more like JAL management is living in Cuckoo Land.

What they should do is focus more on getting the airline to fly profitable routes , getting its expenses and staffing right, updating their aircraft * some which are really in a rather old tatty state), and improving on its inflight service.

Getting the old logo back calling it as "new" would not attract more people to fly JAL, you do not need an airline expert to know that. In my view, it brings fear to me that JAL management has not learned their lessons of the recent past at all and it is as still out of touch with the real world as before. Will we see JAL going the way of Pan Am, from a great airline to a struggling one, and then to extinction?

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