JAL sales in April-Dec. Update Feb. 7, 2026.

JAL sales in April-Dec. at record 1.51 tril. yen on firm inbound tourism

Article source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260203/p2g/00m/0bu/029000c

Ideas

Both JAL and ANA should be seeing record sales and even record profits at this time as Japan is experiencing unseen records in foreign tourists entering Japan this past year. 

Of course maybe other airlines too are seeing record numbers as foreign tourists just keep going to Japan which might or might be at the saturation point yet for sustainable numbers.

It's interesting that Japan is not really that big of a country and travel from Hokkaido to Okinawa is really not that far but there seems to be a lot of domestic plane travel in Japan along with a lot of shinkansen or bullet train travel in Japan too.

At around 125 million people Japan is densely populated country and face to face business meetings is still an important component of doing business in Japan as Zoom and Microsoft teams have not completely taken over the business meeting aspect of business people meeting each other in Japan.

And yes, the situation with China is a little iffy right now as Japan and China once again are having challenges and travel from China to Japan has again taken a back seat to Chinese tourists visiting Japan.

Yes, a decrease in demand 20 to 25 percent might be considered significant but the overall effect might not be that bad as all other countries seem to be filling the gap as again there are a record numbers of foreign tourists entering Japan and JAL and both ANA might be getting their share of bookings these days.

China seems to be specialize in group bookings as maybe there is/are safety in numbers as maybe they prefer to travel in groups while other foreign tourists might prefer to travel alone or with one or two people only not in large groups.

For good or bad, intentional or unintentional, Japan every few years keeps making the same mistakes that upset both China or South Korea or both at the same time.

And again it's going to take some time before the situation calms down as always it seems to work itself out one way or another.

While its hopeful that they appetite to travel to Japan will return its not highly likely as what the powers to be say in China still resonates with a large part of the population but there are always the adventurous ones who might travel to Japan and ignore the powers to be.

More and more Chinese travelers, as has been suggested, are now not traveling in large groups but traveling on their own to places such as Japan or even South Korea these days.

JAL and maybe ANA too seem to have a good balance between domestic bookings and domestic bookings which complement each other and when one part is a little down the other part might be a little up which keeps the profits sustainable.

The only real grip, and its global, as ever since the pandemic or the end of the pandemic ticket prices have increased significantly and of course so has demand.

And unfortunately, airlines are a business so they always talk about customer service but in reality good customer service seems to be eroding in many airlines these days as they seem to be nit-picking with fee increases for luggage, fee increases for seats, and fee increases for whatever they feel they can get away with without regard or caring about the customers.

And yes, again, airlines are a business and as a business they have to maintain a certain level of profit to keep shareholder happy which unfortunately means due to fuel price increases, increases in demand, and increase in a number or areas they increase tickets prices.

And then there is there the segmentation of airline tickets to increase profits by separating the prices of aisle seats and window seats, segmenting premium economy from standard economy and who knows what else airlines do to get as much profit as they can from the customer.

JAL and ANA, while known for quality customer service do the same thing with many things related to the segmentation of customers as again they need to maximize profit as much as possible.

These budget carriers seem to always be having their ownership changed from one company to the next as they just can't seem to find the right business model and just are not sustainable in the long run.'

JAL already has some affiliate budget airline or regional airlines and there is only a limited number of resources and unfortunately budget airlines are always being sold or revived every few years or so it seems.

And yes, as expected JAL will probably transform jetstar into a new brand or something new version of the brand which seems to be quite common these days for budget airlines.

The barriers to entry for new budget airlines seems to be quite high and most just don't last that long no matter what they do, as they are only a limited number of travelers and if there are too many airlines and even too many budget airlines unfortunately the weak get left behind.

Of course name-brand loyalty is a major hurdle for any budget airline to overcome as flying with ANA or Japan in Japan, United or Delta in the US, or Korea Air in South Korea and or any of the name-brand Chinese airlines in China is a lot more earlier and maybe safer but maybe not easy on the budget.

Have a nice day!

JAL to Diversify: Ideas Later: Updated September 14, 2024.

 

JAL looks to diversify workplace, businesses under 1st female CEO

Article Source:  https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240509/p2g/00m/0bu/017000c

Article to be deleted after ideas given.

Article:

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan Airlines Co.'s newly appointed top executive Mitsuko Tottori said she will press ahead with diversity in its workplace and businesses, as she looks to devise the carrier's post-COVID growth strategy as its first female CEO.

Tottori said she is confident that JAL will have female employees filling at least 30 percent of all management positions in the year through March 2025, meeting the goal one year ahead of plan.

Ideas:

Some companies in Japan might have better  chance of increasing diversity, but some companies might be more challenged as they have a more traditional Japanese company with a lot of older Japanese males in managerial positions.

JAL of Japan Airlines with female CEO stands a better chance of reaching 30 percent of females in managerial positions. A female CEO already helps the company move in that position.

Its possible that maybe not all Japanese females workers aspire to be a CEO in a Japanese company as maybe just moving into a managerial position is enough.

Article:

"Everybody at the company is working toward our shared goal. I don't find it particularly challenging," Tottori said in a recent meeting with a group of media organizations. The figure stood at 29.8 percent as of the end of March this year, she said.

Her appointment on April 1 is unusual in the global airline industry not just because she became JAL's first female CEO but also because she started her career as a flight attendant at Toa Domestic Airlines Co., which was renamed as Japan Air System Co. and later merged with JAL, eventually rising to the top position.

Ideas:

And again, not all women aspire to be a CEO, but maybe move up he ladder in a company is enough, as like men, women too, have different goals and aspirations. 

These days, both men and women, even in Japan,  see life is more than being completely loyal to a company to move up in a company.

But yes, females have more challenges with raising children and trying to have a good career at the same time. And yes, not all women these days want to get married or even have children as they see the cost of raising children has become just too expensive.

Article:

When Tottori joined TDA in 1985, many of her female colleagues left the company after marrying, as few people in their workplace understood why women should continue working after marriage and there were few measures in place to keep married women at work, but she said the situation has changed.

"We have ramped up efforts to make women feel more comfortable working so they can continue their careers after various life events," Tottori said. JAL has introduced measures such as fertility treatment leave and a more flexible promotion system.

Ideas:

Companies, globally, need to have as many options a possible, not just for women, but for men too, including a four day work week, remote work, or other possibilities as long as the work can get done.

Not all companies are able or even willing to do what JAL has done or what some other companies have done.

Unfortunately, maybe some or many women feel they are always at a disadvantage for advancement in the company for being a woman, especially in Japan, but also in many other countries too.

Article:

Under the current business plan covering five years through March 2026, the airline plans to hire more foreign nationals in Japan and promote measures to have its employees work at firms outside the JAL group on temporary assignments, providing them with new work experiences.

JAL joins the less than 1 percent of major Japanese companies led by women. Of some 1,800 companies listed in the top-tier Prime section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, female presidents accounted for only 0.8 percent as of January last year, according to a joint survey by Kyodo News and Teikoku Databank.

Ideas:

Its a good idea that JAL has a plan for employees to work at different companies to gain experience in many different things.

But its unfortunate that of the 1800 listed companies, female presidents only accounted for 0.8 percent, which is not so good, as only men run the company, it comes very insular and new ideas are not created as the same people only come up with ideas.

The ideas that Japanese women are not motivated enough to put in the time needed to move up the ladder is long past, as Japanese women are just as motivated as are other women around the world, as they just the chance and the right work environment to achieve their goals.

Article:

Tottori also follows an increasing number of female top executives named in recent years by airlines in the United States, Europe and other regions such as JetBlue Airways Corp., Qantas Airways Ltd. and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

The industry seeks to improve the gender gap. In 2019, the International Air Transport Association launched the "25by2025" initiative, a voluntary commitment calling on airlines worldwide to increase the number of women in senior positions and underrepresented areas by 25 percent or up to a minimum of 25 percent by 2025.

Ideas:

There is always going to be some resistance either overt or more subtle to preventing more woman in managerial posts, as it might just be human nature or competition

While other countries, globally have increased the number of women in managerial posts, Japan is lacking behind, sometimes decades behind to what is happening in Europe or the US.

Sometimes its the mindset of women in Japan, as they feel or see they are no real chances for promotion, so why bother or why try to get a good job that leads to a better position, as they survey the landscape and just see the same thing.

Article:

The new CEO said she wants to boost revenues from non-airline operations, such as the business related to rewards points, to make its earnings base more stable. The airline industry was reeling from a plunge in air travelers during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The pandemic has ended and now the company is back on a growth track," Tottori said. "We hope to make this company more sustainable."

Ideas:

While some companies are quick to change their CEO if they don`t improve profitability, but in Japan, there might be more of a long term approach and they don`t change a CEO that fast.

I have flown JAL and also ANA many times to Japan and the service is always first class and never less, as JAL and ANA seem to value customer service. I have never had a bad or even near bad experience on either airline.

I`m sure some customers have had some not so good experiences on JAL or ANA, as flight attendants are only human and they can make mistakes.

Article;

To widen its business portfolio, acquisitions are being considered as an option, although there are no specific targets at the moment, she said.

Having spent the first three decades of her career as a flight attendant and as a manager overseeing them, she said her strength lies in keenly grasping customers' needs, adding she hopes to see more JAL flight attendants rise through the ranks in the future.

"Some of them may become future management members," she said. "Our (management side) job is to offer more opportunities so they can gain more experiences."

Ideas:

JAL needs to be careful as to not extend itself too much with acquisitions as many companies have tried to expand only to find themselves overextended.

Japan is known for its customer service as they do put the customer first, or they used to, but that might be changing some, as companies are seeing they need to focus on profits and shareholders more than customers these days.

On a side note, many US airlines, to find more revenue, they have resorted to charging flyers for the seats they want. I think that is totally wrong, and I hope JAL and ANA don`t do it in the future.

Have a nice day!

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!

Japan Airlines: Update April 25, 2024.

 

At Japan Airlines, Bankruptcy Helped Lay Groundwork for First Female Boss

Article Source:  https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/news-services/reuters/20240131-165916/?fbclid=IwAR1hB3X4Q7xPTw1TJfVYFTGXPCV8zoiVPfdM8v1NNZ5TiF45y0TwNtuoIaI

Ideas:

Perhaps because of the double challenge of being a wife and mother, it makes it hard for a career women to move up the leader to a CEO position.

But more and more women, are not only running major name-brand companies, but many are now running their own companies too.

There are always going to be women who step-up to the challenge, but unfortunately, because of being a wife and mother too, many women, especially in Japan, might shy away from it.

Women, as a resource, is a long-neglected variable in the Japanese economy. And as many companies now face labor shortages, it becomes even more important for Japanese companies to look to Japanese women to fill the vacancies they might have.

Part of the challenge is changing mindsets and expectations of everyone in Japan society. For example, maybe many women aspire to move up the corporate ladder, but societal and companies expectations keep many women from attempting the challenge.

And then there is the mindset of many of the older traditional Japanese corporate men, who don't see the need for women in management positions, and might even feel threatened with women in power situations.

There is also societal expectations on women, to maybe leave the company after they get married, and or still, place more emphasis on raising children instead of moving up the corporate ladder, which, again, might be a psychological barrier to many women who aspire to be in management positions.

There is also the notorious number of hours that many Japanese managers have to work, which might discourage some women from seeking management positions.

Perhaps Kazuho Inamori has/was the real innovator for Japan Airlines and Tottori just followed in his footsteps, but either way, both transformed Japan Airlines.

Maybe overtime, Japan Airlines had become too arrogant, and didn't really respect customers, and maybe they thought they were doing customers a favor instead of the other way, Japan Airlines should have seen customers as key stakeholders.

Its a good lesson to be learned by many Japanese companies to not neglect the customer. That doesn't mean the customer is king or God, but customers are the key to any business, and especially related to the airline industry.

These days, there are many challenges with airline travel, that need to be changed, and if companies would get back to putting customers first, and of course with safety, it would go a long way for positive public relations.

For example, before the pandemic, traveling to Japan from Korea, from Seoul Gimpo to Tokyo Haneda, either on JAL of ANA, both used wide-body planes which provide a lot of comfort and space for customers.

Bu after the pandemic both JAL and ANA switched to smaller body planes with only a middle isle between seats, which made it very uncomfortable, and it seemed everyone was bringing their luggage onto the planes which made getting on and off the plane even more difficult.

But unfortunately, maybe lowering costs instead of customer comfort has become the norm in the airline industry today.

Perhaps, again, Inamori was an old-school manager, who put customers first, which seems to have been neglected in the age of putting share-holders first above workers and above customers, which use to be the two main stakeholders in Japanese companies.

It seems Inamori was like the late Peter Drucker and or Peter Drucker was like Inamori, in what they thought about companies, customers, and managers.

It would be interesting to know if both men knew each other, as Peter Drucker for many years had traveled to Japan and did a lot of seminars on how he thought companies should do business, especially the idea of workers being stakeholders in a company and not just shareholders.

And Drucker's ideas about business never really became that popular in the US, but became very popular in Japan.

Its important for any service type company, which an airline is, to have someone at the top who is close to the front lines as possible. The idea that anyone else in charge just shows that companies are not concerned with customers and their importance.

Its like a car manufacturing company placing someone in finance at the top of the company, when that person might have no experience with customers and or really making cars.

Japanese companies used to have its line managers move from department to department to gain experience in all phases of a company's operations. But these days, everything has become too specialized and new line employees don't get the experience like maybe a Inamori or Tottori had back in the day.

Putting a women as president of JAL might not change much related to Japan's ranking among OECD nations and gender equality, but its a start, just like the Tokyo mayor, Koike is a start for women in politics in Japan.

But again, Japanese society environment and mindsets need to change before many women feel comfortable entering into management positions or in politics in Japan.

And again, JAL is a service type company, which should be very focused on customers and of course customers safety, and it makes perfect sense to have someone with practical experience in a service company who knows what its like and been there and seen the day to day activities of the company and how do deal with customers correctly.

Actually, it should be the priority of any company to have those with practical experience at the top and not some back-room manager who has never seen or been on the front lines of a company.

Its like placing a family member, who has never been in charge of anything at the top of a division of a family owned company just because he/she is the nephew of the CEO, which used to happen a lot in South Korea and the big family owned companies.

It seems Tottori was, at the time, like Koike, was one of the few career oriented women.

Another trend setter was/is Fumiko Hayashi, the former major of Yokohama, who also worked for BMW and other car companies before she became major of Yokohama, the second largest city in Japan.

There are probably many women in Japan like these women, but maybe they are not known or prefer to stay unknown and just do their jobs, be good wives, and raise their children, without a lot of noise or publicity.

Perhaps, Japan is on the verge of seeing a lot of women step-up to management level positions, as maybe the tide as finally changed in Japan, maybe women are actually going to make significant strides in management positions in companies. But maybe not, as who knows exactly. 

Who knows exactly means Japan still has a way to go for gender equality, as so does the US. It seems many of the northern European countries have figured out how to solve the gender equality situation with many men and women have equal standing in many situations.

That doesn't mean Japanese men are opposed to Japanese women in management positions, as again, there are many constraints that men too have do deal with, such a going along with the main ideas of what a companies wants, but maybe some men might think having a women in management is a good idea to them.

Many women, such as Tottori might have good communication skills, good business reasoning skills, but if the male CEO or some above dismisses their thinking, they might never get a chance to move up in the company.

Some or many women, see this and either give up and or don't even try to move up into a  company as they know and see what is going on and or have seen how other women, before them, were treated and or ignored.

But again, Japanese companies, who are smart and see what is happening will be quick to implement policies and strategies that seek to employ more women in management positions, especially as Japan is going through a labor shortage period, its time to use women in companies besides just as clerks or serving tea.

Customer safety should be number one for any service company and especially an airline. But unfortunately, there are always going to be some customers/passengers who don't follow the rules, no matter how much an airline might emphasize following safety rules and safety procedures.

The Haneda incident might have been the exception as everyone got off safely and everyone followed the rule of now luggage when leaving.

Hollywood movies are never what really happens and the Haneda incident showed that clearly.

Its important, whether a man or woman, that they can get the chance to move around a company and gain experience with many different operations of a company, and not just remain in one positions their entire career.

But again, these days, maybe companies don't move employees around like they used to, as back in the day, Japanese employees, were considered generalists and not specialists meaning they moved around a lot and experienced many different operations in a company.

But again, maybe women, back in the day were not put in to management track positions, which means they were stuck in one part of a company and now allowed to experience other parts of a company to again experience to move up in a company. Tottori, might have been the exception.

Its unfortunate that some men maybe many corporate men, still have that kind of thinking, but of course it might be in the US too for some.

But the more women move up the ladder maybe over time mindsets will change and as more men and women interact in the management arena, men will eventually see women as equal management partners and not just "decorations."

Its not going to change today or even tomorrow but it's going to take time as more and more women enter the management workplace and corporate men really see what they can do, then maybe the mindsets will change.

Have a nice day and be safe!