First code sharing agreement between an Indian and Japanese carrier

By Juhan Samuel

Kochi, Apr 10 : Jet Airways and Tokyo-based All Nippon Airways (ANA) plan to commence a code sharing and network-wide reciprocal frequent flier partnership, effective May 21. With this agreement, the first of its kind between an Indian and a Japanese carrier, Jet Airways will place its flight code '9W' on ANA's daily business jet flights between Mumbai and Tokyo's Narita.

Both airlines will link their Frequent Flier Programmes (FFP), allowing Jet Airways' JetPrivilege members to accrue and redeem miles on ANA operated flights, and members of ANA's mileage club programme to do the same on all flights operated by Jet Airways.

Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, Jet Airways' CEO, said, "We are proud to announce a partnership between ANA and Jet Airways. Both carriers share the same values of excellent service and have good complementary route networks we can offer to our passengers. Customers will enjoy several benefits such as frequent flier miles and seamless travel using ANA and Jet Airways' networks". "We are delighted to work with Jet Airways in this way to bring together the people of India and Japan," said ANA President and CEO, Mineo Yamamoto.

"Our two countries, located at opposite ends of Asia, represent the diversity and dynamism of our region. Jet Airways, with its famed high quality of service and remarkable growth, itself typifies those qualities," he added.

ANA operates a Boeing 737-700ER in an exclusive all-business class configuration of 36 seats between Mumbai and Tokyo.

The route was inaugurated on September 1, 2007 on a six flights per week basis, with a planned increase to seven flights per week from April 11 2008. et Airways currently operates a fleet of 81 aircraft, which includes 10 Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, 8 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 54 classic and next generation Boeing 737-400/700/800/900 aircraft and 9 modern ATR 72-500 turboprop aircraft.

With an average fleet age of 4.20 years, the airline has one of the youngest aircraft fleet in the world. Jet Airways operates over 380 flights daily.

Flights to 59 destinations span the length and breadth of India and beyond, including New York (both JFK and Newark) Toronto, Brussels, London (Heathrow), Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Bangkok, Kathmandu, Dhaka, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat and Doha.

The airline plans to extend its international operations to other cities in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia in phases with the introduction of additional wide-body aircraft into its fleet.

ANA Ranked among the top 10 airlines in the world, carrying 50 million passengers every year to 50 destinations in Japan and 27 cities throughout Asia, Europe and the United States, ANA is recognised for outstanding passenger service both on the ground and in the air.

In the greatest Japanese tradition of mixing hospitality with high technology, personalised la carte service complements state-of-the-art entertainment systems and the latest in cabin design.

ANA has been in the airline business for over 50 years, and combined with ANA Group companies its activities extend across a host of complete travel and aviation-related services.

It is the launch customer of the Boeing 787 and was voted Airline of the Year for 2007 by Air Transport World magazine. As a member of Star Alliance, the world's foremost airline alliance, ANA passengers enjoy access to a network of 897 airport destinations in 160 countries, and reciprocal benefits such as mileage accrual and redemption, and lounge access.

ANI