Japan Airlines boosts California route
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By Yun Suh-young
Japan Airlines has expanded investments to upgrade aircraft heading to California amid growing demands for the most populous state in the United States.
Starting this month, the airline has switched the aircraft flying between San Francisco and Haneda International Airport to a larger model to 244-seat B777 from the current 186-seat B787. The B777 model also allows more individual space in between seats.
The schedule of flights from San Francisco to Haneda also changed to 00:35 a.m. departure from San Francisco and 5 a.m. arrival at Haneda. The change allows direct transfer flights on the same day at 8:25 a.m. from Haneda to Gimpo International Airport in Seoul.
The airline currently operates three direct flights to Californian cities of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. Flights to Los Angeles and San Diego depart from Narita International Airport and the San Francisco route departs from Haneda International Airport.
The latest addition to the Californian route is the Narita-San Diego route which operates daily from Narita International Airport in Tokyo to San Diego International Airport.
The flight is the only direct flight from Asia to the Californian city. Departure from Incheon International Airport in Korea requires a one-hour layover at Narita.
The flight operates with Boeing 787 Dreamliner which has fewer seats than its competitors operating with the same model, thus larger individual space, and windows with electric shades.
Meanwhile the airline has converted many of its carriers with premium service Sky Suite models of 767, 777, and 787. It also plans to convert some of the remaining flights to the premium types next year.
For more information, visit www.kr.jal.com.