In the case of transpacific journey, there are few markets extra profitable than the hall between Japan and the United States of America. In keeping with the Pew Analysis Middle, round 1.6 million individuals with Japanese heritage at present reside within the US, and this, together with robust and constant demand from the enterprise and leisure sectors, makes for a fertile market the place competitors runs excessive and each seat counts.
From the Japanese facet of this market, the 2 most important carriers offering direct air hyperlinks to the US are All Nippon Airways and Japan Airways, with the previous belonging to the 
Star Alliance and the latter being a oneworld member. Whereas many of those two airways’ Japan-US routes cowl the identical floor, there are a handful of notable variations by way of the routes served and plane used. Let’s dive deep into the info and take a better look.
ANA’s Present US Routes All Begin In Tokyo
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In keeping with Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, All Nippon Airways has scheduled a grand whole of 465 one-way departures on its varied routes from Japan to the US this March. These companies will provide 118,358 seats, representing a mean of round 254.5 seats per flight. Its hottest routes on this market are from Tokyo Haneda (HND) to New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX), and Tokyo Narita (NRT) to Honolulu (HNL).
It serves these routes twice a day, alongside each day flights from Haneda to Chicago (ORD), Honolulu, Houston (IAH), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Washington (IAD), and Narita to Chicago, LAX, and San Francisco. ANA’s plane of selection on these routes are the Boeing 777-300ER, 787-8, 787-9, and Airbus A380, and, since 2024, it has partnered with the Los Angeles Dodgers MLB staff, with Dodgers EVP Lon Rosen saying:
“We’re profiting from a number of of our platforms to showcase the ANA model. Collectively, these shows will drive model publicity for ANA to greater than 4 million in-stadium followers and hundreds of thousands of followers watching from house.”
JAL Has A Extra Numerous Providing
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Japan Airways, ANA’s 
oneworld rival, provides a barely bigger US-bound schedule this March, each by way of the variety of flights scheduled and the routes that they serve. Certainly, Cirium’s information exhibits that, in March 2026, JAL has pencilled in 545 one-way departures on US-bound flights, providing a grand whole of 121,319 seats within the course of at a mean of 222.6 seats per flight. These plane additionally use Airbus and Boeing widebodies.
Particularly, the Boeing 787-9 is the dominant drive, accounting for 273 flights, adopted by the Airbus A350-1000 (114), 777-300ER (72), 767-300ER (62), and 787-8 (24). The significantly decrease determine than ANA so far as common seats per flight is worried, regardless of JAL’s use of huge widebody plane, displays the premium-heavy configurations current on the plane that it flies to the US. ANA’s figures are additionally boosted by its use of the A380.
jal
JAL flies from 4 Japanese airports to US cities at current, with Tokyo Narita serving essentially the most: Boston (BOS), Chicago, Guam (GUM), Honolulu, LAX, San Diego (SAN), San Francisco, and Seattle. Throughout city, JAL flies from Tokyo Haneda to Chicago, Dallas/Fort Price (DFW), Honolulu, LAX, New York, and San Francisco. Elsewhere, there are additionally JAL flights from Osaka (KIX) to Honolulu and Los Angeles, and Nagoya (NGO) to Honolulu.
Associated
Japan Airways To Resume Tokyo-Chicago Flights & Improve West Coast Frequencies
JAL will associate with American Airways on the brand new flight from Tokyo Narita, which dietary supplements its current service from Tokyo Haneda Airport.
The Backside Line
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When all is alleged and achieved, the present information and figures point out that Japan Airways is clearly the dominant Japanese operator on US-bound routes at current in most respects. Nevertheless, ANA does win on density, with its variety of imply seats per flight being greater than 30 greater, largely on account of its use of the A380 to Honolulu. This does imply that, in some months, it provides extra US-bound seats than JAL, and this was the case in February.
Whereas many of those airways’ US locations are the identical, those who differ inform an attention-grabbing story of alliance membership. Certainly, JAL’s presence and ANA’s absence in Dallas/Fort Price is notable however comprehensible, given the previous’s oneworld associate having an enormous hub there. Likewise, ANA is the one one of many pair flying to Houston and Washington, as these are fortress hubs for United Airways, one among its fellow Star Alliance members.
