UPDATE: JAL President Sees No Change In Joint Ops With American AirlinesLast update: 12/8/2011 2:47:34 AM-- JAL president shrugs off concerns the bankruptcy protection filing of American Airlines will have a negative impact on cooperation between the two carriers -- JAL president says the airline can help American's restructuring in customer service -- JAL expects delivery of Boeing 787 in February (Recasts, adds comments by JAL president in 4th-9th paragraphs) Yoshio Takahashi OF DOW JONES NEWSWIRES TOKYO (Dow Jones)--The president of Japan Airlines Corp. shrugged off concerns Thursday that the bankruptcy protection filing of American Airlines Inc. will have a negative impact on cooperation between the two carriers, and said American should make a successful comeback. It is unlikely American will reduce or scrap routes between major cities in the U.S. and Japan, as their trans-Pacific business "is generating favorable results," JAL President Masaru Onishi said at a press conference. Both members of the Oneworld alliance, JAL and American jointly operate several trans-Pacific routes, and there should be no change in that cooperation despite the bankruptcy protection filing, he said. The tie-up is a crucial to JAL's rebuilding efforts, with the carrier having filed for Japan's biggest non-financial bankruptcy protection in 2010. JAL operates a total of nine trans-Pacific routes under a joint agreement with American, whose parent AMR Corp. (AMR) filed for bankruptcy protection last week amid stiff cost competition and surging fuel costs. Onishi said there doesn't seem to be much JAL can do to help its U.S. partner, as the focal issue remains talks with American's labor unions to reduce costs. JAL's restructuring, meanwhile, gives it little room to support its partner financially, he said. Still, there are ways JAL can support American, he added. For instance, JAL could help train its flight attendants, Onishi said--an idea endorsed recently retired AMR chairman Gerard Arpey. Onishi also said American Airlines should be able to return to healthy operations under court protection, just as many U.S. carriers have done. Meanwhile, Onishi said he expects the first delivery of the new Boeing 787 in February, slightly later than the previously expected December or January. But the later delivery won't affect JAL's plans to use the jet on a route between Tokyo's Narita Airport and Boston from April, or on three other routes--Narita to Moscow, Narita to New Delhi, and Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Beijng--he said. -By Yoshio Takahashi, Dow Jones Newswires; 813-6269-2791; yoshio.takahashi@dowjones.com (END) Dow Jones NewswiresDecember 08, 2011 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT
