JAL and ANA Will Coordinate Flight Schedules for the First Time, Starting on Haneda-Okayama

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will coordinate flight schedules on a domestic route for the first time in their history, adjusting departure times on the Tokyo Haneda-Okayama route to avoid overlaps once the winter schedule season begins October 25. It’s a notable shift for two carriers that have long competed head-on across Japan’s domestic network.

Under the arrangement, JAL and ANA will space out flight departures on the route that previously left around the same times, aiming to give passengers more spread-out options throughout the day rather than clustering flights and leaving long gaps between them.

The two airlines say they’ll remain full competitors — selling their own tickets and operating their own aircraft — so this isn’t a merger or codeshare. The coordination comes as both carriers face rising fuel and maintenance costs and fewer business travelers, pressures a government panel flagged this spring as a threat to the long-term viability of some domestic routes.

If the Haneda-Okayama pilot works as intended, it could serve as a model for coordinating schedules on other thinning domestic routes, though neither airline has committed to expanding the practice beyond this one route for now.

Sources: The Japan Times, Aviation Week