Japan Airlines (JAL) and Bangkok Airways have announced that they will codeshare on several of their flights.
The new partnership is one of 15 that JAL has forged with other airlines (see here) with the aim of expanding its network and providing a wider range of mileage options to passengers.
"Through partnerships with quality airlines that have an extensive reach in their region such as Bangkok Airways, we hope to improve our ability to facilitate travel for businesses and leisure to and from Japan," said Tsutomu Ando, Executive Officer for international relations and alliances of Japan Airlines.
Under the agreement, Bangkok Airways will codeshare on JAL-operated flights between Bangkok and Osaka Kansai. It will also codeshare on the two daily flights JAL operates between the Thai and Japanese capitals – one of which is to Narita and the other to Haneda.
A JAL spokesperson said this increases options and convenience for people flying from all around Thailand to Tokyo via Bangkok. The Haneda flight is a particularly convenient new option, arriving early in the morning at the airport that is located close to the city centre.
JAL will codeshare on the Bangkok Airways operated flights to Phuket, Koh Samui, Chiang Mai and Mumbai (see here). Travellers from Japan will therefore have convenient through connections via Bangkok to each of these destinations, which JAL previously did not serve.
Members of the two airlines mileage programmes will be able to redeem award tickets on either airline's departures. At present the agreement does not allow passengers to accrue miles on the other airline’s flights, but the JAL spokesperson said this was something the two airlines were exploring.
They also said that the airlines were looking at the possibility of introducing more shared routes in the future.
For more information, visit www.jal.co.jp and www.bangkokair.com
Nicholas Olczak
