JAL will resume direct flights to Kona in September
BLOOMBERG
Visitors watch from an observation deck as a Boeing Co. 737 aircraft operated by Japan Airlines Co. (JAL) stands parked at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan in 2013. JAL will resume daily non-stop service between Tokyo and Kona.
Japan Airlines will resume daily non-stop service between Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and Kona International Airport at Keahole, a route that was cut in 2010 as the carrier struggled to emerge from a past bankruptcy.
The carrier announced Monday that it would reinstate the route Sept. 15 as part of an effort “to develop and meet demand on its international network.”
JAL currently operates six daily flights to Honolulu, including four daily flights from Narita, and one daily flight from both Osaka and Nagoya.
JAL said Kona is “one of the most popular destinations in Hawaii and surrounded by a rich natural environment.”
The carrier will use JAL Sky Suite 767 aircraft to fly between Tokyo and Kona. These aircraft are fitted with business-class seats that flatten and economy seats that offer more legroom.
JAL will compete with Hawaiian Airlines on the Tokyo to Kona route. Hawaiian began direct service from Tokyo’s Haneda airport to Kona in December with three flights a week.
