Qantas and Japan Airlines have announced plans to form a joint venture on services between Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
The five-year venture would see the airlines coordinate pricing, expand codeshares and align schedules. The deal would also see Qantas and JAL customers gain extra frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to upgrade using points or miles on each other¡¯s services.?
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said, ¡°The joint business means we¡¯ll be able to build on our existing relationship with JAL through oneworld to offer more routes, better flight connections and more benefits to frequent flyers. It also helps us diversify our portfolio of joint businesses amongst Australia¡¯s key trading partners."
Japan Airlines president Yuji Akasaka added: ¡°We believe that a joint business with Qantas will make for a quicker recovery between both countries with the ability to expand connectivity within each carrier¡¯s respective domestic network, providing more customer choice and travel growth opportunities.¡±
A decision on the joint venture is expected within six months and the airlines are planning to launch joint operations in July 2021 subject to regulatory approval.