JAL is doing well - let's get them to BRU !

itami · Post by **itami** » 20 Oct 2006, 07:50

JAL Wins Two Awards: Best North Asian Airline & Best Trans-Pacific Business Class

Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 20, 2006 - Japan Airlines (JAL) has been voted the 'Best North Asian Airline' by travel professionals in the 17th Travel Trade Gazette (TTG) Annual Travel Awards 2006. Additionally, the airline's business class, JAL Executive Class, was voted one of the best on trans-pacific routes by business travelers in the 9th Annual Conde Nast Traveler Business Travel Awards 2006.

I guess this is the kind of carriers Brussels Airport wants to host in the near future ? In spite of several official Belgian missions to Japan nor JAL nor its counterpart ANA seem to urge to add BRU to their network.

Vinnie-Winnie · Post by **Vinnie-Winnie** » 20 Oct 2006, 12:24

The Best north Asian carrier knows what it is doing and certainly will not trade-off profits/yields/revenues for prestige!

Let them come to Bru if there is a market and if they r sure they r not gonna pull out after 6 months otherwise what is the point?

Mercutio · Post by **Mercutio** » 22 Oct 2006, 03:01

I thought JAL was making huge losses and really struggling against ANA?

fokker_f27 · Post by **fokker_f27** » 22 Oct 2006, 11:05

Sorry, but we really can't expect every carrier to start a service to Brussels. I don't think that a Tokio to Brussels route will be any succes. There's probably no market fo rthis. If there would be, then they would certainly already be flying this route.

foxtrot_lima_yankee · Post by **foxtrot_lima_yankee** » 23 Oct 2006, 01:00

Hi don t think you re right about that one because I ve been travelling between Narita and Brussels several times in the past with Sabena and I can tell you that the three weekly scheduled flights with their A340s were always fully booked although the cheapest return tickets were around 42000 bef (1050€+-).
Sabena was well-known to the Japanese and many people coming in from Japan used to transfer through EBBR to other destinations all over Europe.
Because of the bankruptcy, JAL and ANA retired from Brussels as there was no local carrier that was able to transfer the passengers.
As you all know japanese love Europe and it would be lovely if one of those carriers would reopen a direct route to Brussels. That would not only be interesting for the Japanese travelling directly to Brussels but also for Brussels Airport, as EBBR based carriers will be used in transfers.
For now I know that ANA has a shuttle service that picks you up at home and drops you at Charles de Gaulle or Frankfurt.
And who knows maybe Japanese will get enough of Europe and start to dream about Africa....