TokyoTomo Travel Guide

Air Canada (AC) will operate daily direct flight between Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Vancouver from January 29, 2011. The airline currently operates daily service on its Narita/Vancouver route.

The new service from Haneda is part of the airline’s strategy of expanding its international route network. Air Canada plans to improve the passenger friendliness, providing customers with two options, with Haneda Airport enjoying easy access within approximately 30 minutes from central Tokyo and with Narita Airport providing excellent connectivity between domestic and international flights afforded by Star Alliance partner airlines.

Aircraft to be put into service will be Boeing B767-300ER configured with Executive First Class and Economy Class with 211 seats in total.

Haneda/Vancouver will be operated with following schedules:

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.

Chile’s LAN Airlines (LA) and TAM Brazilian Airlines (JJ) recently signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a merger plan. The airlines intend to create a joint holding company to form a new airline, LATAM Airlines Group, from an all-stock transaction. The two airlines will continue to operate with own brands, LA and JJ, however. They will continue the talks between the two in order to conclude an official contract.

When the merger is realized, the new airline will become the largest airline group in South America, employing more than 40,000 staff and serving more than 115 destinations in 23 countries. The consolidated operational revenues in 2009 amount to 8.5 billion US dollars (approx. 724.8 billion yen). The consolidated number of passengers carried in 2009 exceeded 45 million. The merger should generate annual synergies of approximately 400 million US dollars (approx. 34.1 billion yen). By restructuring the respective route networks and addressing the cost reductions, LATAM Airlines Group expects to achieve one third of the annual synergies within the first year and then the full annual synergies eventually within three years after the merger.

Presently LAN Airlines belongs to Oneworld whilst TAM Brazilian Airlines belongs to Star Alliance. At this moment, however, there seems to be no plans of changing the respective alliance membership.

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.

Brazil’s TAM Airlines (JJ) opened its Tokyo office on April 27. Takahide Onoda of the airline’s General Sales Agent (GSA) for Japan has taken up the position as Area Representative Japan under the supervision of Giuliano Ponzio, Account Manager of Eastern Europe and Asia at TAM Airlines. In Asia, it has general sales agents (GSA) in South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand. Tokyo is the first branch staffed by TAM’s own employee. The airline is set to join Star Alliance on May 13. TAM Tokyo aims to boost sales in the Japan market, focusing on the start of code-sharing deal with All Nippon Airways (ANA).

Speaking at a reception held on April 27, Paulo Cezar Castello Branco, TAM Vice-President Commercial & Planning, said, “Asia is the world’s most commercially important region for the airline industry.” “We consider Japan as the best-chosen market to compete in the air transport business.” He further explained that, in terms of BSP (bank settlement plan) billings, passenger traffic between Asia and South America creates a turnover of as much as 400 million US dollars (approximately 37.53 billion yen). By opening its own branch in Tokyo, Branco said, TAM Airlines endeavors to further boost traffic demand.

Also, Ponzio told Travel Vision that since the Bank Settlement Plan (BSP) started in Japan also for Brazilian domestic tickets this past January, its BSP billings amount to a half million US dollars (about 47 million yen) in three months alone, adding that it is an extremely promising start for TAM Airlines. Commenting on the code-sharing with ANA, he said that he is hopeful to realize it by the end of September. Capitalizing on the code-sharing, the airline aims to focus on three traffic segments between Japan and South America, which are business travel, leisure travel and South American expats. The operating income target set for the first year is 2.5 million US dollars (approximately 235 million yen). TAM Airlines strives to increase its yearly operating income by 20 percent year-by-year, concluded Ponzio.

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.