ANA has announced a third daily service on its Los Angeles – Tokyo route starting on October 29, 2017.
Presently, ANA operates one flight per day to Tokyo Haneda and one to Tokyo Narita. The new daily service will be to Tokyo Narita.
NH176
Toyko – NRT to Los Angeles – LAX
4:00pm – 08:40am
77W
NH175
Los Angeles – LAX to Toyko – NRT
10:30am – 03:20pm+1
77W
The 777-300ER (77W) will feature eights seats in first class, 52 in business class, and 190 in economy class. This represents a premium-dense configuration.
ANA credits robust demand behind its increased capacity:
This route has seen constant growth in number of passengers. As a result, ANA will be offering in total three flights between Tokyo and Los Angeles, providing additional connectivity, and enhancing Narita Airport’s competitive strength as a transit hub between the Asian countries and North America.
Star Alliance TYO-LAX Winter Schedule
With ANA’s additional flight, United/ANA will offer four flights daily between Los Angeles and Tokyo, there to Narita and one to Haneda.
- Tokyo to Los Angeles
- NH176 NRT-LAX 1600-0840 77W
- NH006 NRT-LAX 1700-0945 77W
- UA033 NRT-LAX 1730-1030 789
- NH106 HND-LAX 2255-1550 77W
- Los Angeles to Tokyo
- NH105 LAX-HND 0005-0525+1 77W
- NH175 LAX-NRT 1030-1520+1 77W
- UA032 LAX-NRT 1050-1545+1 789
- NH005 LAX-NRT 1125-1635+1 77W
(pardon my use of a 24-hour clock, but I prefer it)
Is the United Airlines LAX-NRT Flight in Jeopardy?
Notice the United and new ANA flight are timed suspiciously close to another. Furthermore, as JV “metal neutral” partners, it does not really matter whether it is ANA or UAL in terms of revenue sharing on this route.
But I will take the press release at its word – it seems as if demand is strong as both the Japanese and U.S. economies continue to expand. Furthermore, I cannot imagine United giving up this prestigious route in the era of Scott Kirby. While Jeff Smisek probably would have seen it as a great idea, Kirby does not seem like the type who gives up on routes to me.
CONCLUSION
The new ANA flight will offer additional capacity and hopefully better fares and award space between LA and Tokyo, two great cities.
top image: Aero Icarus / Wikimedia Commons
This will help UA re-build at LAX with international connections. I suspect we will see a number of additional domestic frequencies that connect to these ANA arrivals.