Japan Airlines Profit: Updated April 26, 2024

 

JAL net profit jumps fivefold in April-Dec. on demand recovery

Article Source: Was deleted by mistake. 

Ideas:

In January of 2023 and 2024, I traveled to Japan from Seoul Korea, from Seoul Gimpo to Tokyo Haneda, in 2023 I used ANA in 2024 I used JAL Both times, both going and coming back the planes used seemed to be one-aisle planes which were very uncomfortable and everyone seemed to be packed in like sardines, and or course many people brought their luggage onto the plane, which made getting on and off very difficult.

And of course ticket prices in 2023 and 2024 were full-price tickets and were much more expensive than before the pandemic. Most discount or low-price airlines don't fly into Tokyo Haneda but fly into Narita which is about 60 to 90 minutes away from central Tokyo.

It seems, but maybe not so, that convience and customer comfort have taken a back seat to profits and or cost-cutting measures. For example, on JAL, for the lunch meal, they used to serve a bento type lunch, of rice, chicken etc. and it was very good and seemed high quality. 

Now they seemed to have gone the way of lunch sandwiches or something like that, and it was not delicious at all. And they bring it to you in a paper bag, like a paper bagged lunch.

Of course customer service, or attention to customers on both ANA and JAL are first class, but it seems there is some kind of change to both airlines or maybe it was just me, who knows exactly.

And another thing I noticed was the age of the fly attendants, especially on JAL, as they seemed much older than the average fly attendant, but they all worked with enthusiasm and a smile, which of course is always important.

In Japan, before the pandemic, travel to and from cities for business meetings was very important, but during the pandemic maybe Zoom meeting became important and airline travel maybe was de-emphasized some. 

But I'm not sure now if Japanese companies have gone back to airline travel again, but maybe some companies, as a way to reduce costs have gone the way of using Zoom for meetings, and only essential first-time meetings are now face to face.

Of course maybe most airlines, including JAL and ANA have increased ticket prices as a way to makeup for lost profits during the pandemic, so maybe the reason for an increase in profits, and of course more travel after the pandemic.

When I went to Tokyo Haneda in January of 2024, there were many foreign travelers so many airlines seemed to arrive at the same time, around 2 PM and the immigration lines and package pickup areas were packed with people. But Tokyo Haneda and Japan immigration were very efficient and it was not a long lengthy process to get through everything.

The weak Japan yen, which helps foreign travelers in Japan with increased purchasing power, might be an incentive for some foreign travelers to go to Japan. 

I'm not sure about ticked prices to Japan, but from Korea, for full-ticket airlines, prices seemed to have almost doubled from before the pandemic.

If you don't mind flying into Narita, which is maybe 60 to 90 minutes from Central Tokyo, then the low-priced discount airlines might be a good choice.

Many full-price international air-carriers have shifted their flight from Narita to Haneda, which makes it much more convenient for travelers to Tokyo.

ANA and JAL used to be known for superior customer service, but it seems they might have slipped just a little by using single-aisle planes. But maybe, they had no choice, and their was/is a labor shortage in Japan, which might have impacted the number of pilots available for the flights.

And of course maybe, the needed to maximize profits by squeezing customers into the smaller planes and or of course maybe fuel costs had something do to with using smaller planes at the time.

At the time, in 2023 and early 2024 global fuel costs were extremely high which of course many airlines passed-on their fuel costs through fuel surcharges to the customer.

Before the pandemic, at least the Seoul Gimpo fight to Tokyo Haneda seemed to use wide-body aircraft, with two-aisles which made getting on and off very easy compared to the single aisle planes which were very difficult getting on and off.

Robust air travel most likely will continue, but some of its depends on what is going to happen with the weak Japanese yen. if the yen remains weak, then its a good incentive to travel to Japan but if the Bank of Japan intervenes and the Japanese yen becomes much stronger it could also be an incentive to not go to Japan, as foreign travelers purchasing power might be reduced somewhat or considerably.

The Haneda incident was a perfect example of how, for the most part, Japanese people follow directions and how prepared they are for emergency situations, as they constantly deal with severe typhoons, earthquakes and potential tsunamis on a daily basis.

Again, better-than-expected air travel might have had something to do with the increase in earnings, but at the same time, airline companies have increased ticket prices, again, to makeup for their losses during the pandemic. The fact that demand increased is just a bonus besides the increase in ticket prices due to fuel charges and the losses during the pandemic.

Thirteen years ago JAL filed for bankruptcy, and most likely they became too arrogant and too proud and the so-called flagship airline of Japan while ANA always downplayed its position and they knew they needed to work hard to survive.

But since 2010, they, JAL, have come a long way to being the major airline in Japan and hopefully they will remember where they came from and what they've achieved and will continue to strive for quality customer safety and customer convenience.

Have a nice day and be safe!