In October 2020, Star Alliance member airline All Nippon Airways announced plans to launch a new long haul airline subsidiary. More details about the brand have just been revealed today, so let’s go over what we know so far.
In this post:
Basics of AirJapan, All Nippon Airways’ new airline
AirJapan is the name of All Nippon Airways’ new airline subsidiary, which will operate medium and long haul international routes. What should we expect from the airline?
- AirJapan will launch operations in February 2024, initially flying to Southeast Asia, and then expanding its network beyond that
- AirJapan will exclusively operate Boeing 787-8 aircraft
- AirJapan is being launched as part of a business transformation for ANA, intended to “pursue sustainable growth and the ability to quickly respond to a wider range of customer preferences”
- AirJapan won’t be a full service airline or a low cost airline, but rather will “combine the best of both worlds while also featuring Japanese-style ideas and quality” (this is questionable, as I’ll cover below)
- AirJapan’s slogan is “Fly Thoughtful,” and as it’s explained that this “expresses the airline’s caring, thoughtful, and gentle approach”
- The name AirJapan was selected in order to convey to people around the world that the airline is Japanese, and to remind customers that the airline offers “Japanese quality”
- Pricing will be similar to low cost carriers, but the airline will “provide a comfortable cabin space for all passengers”
AirJapan 787s will be in an all-economy layout
AirJapan has now revealed the cabin interiors for its Boeing 787-8s. The jets will feature 324 economy seats, with no premium cabin. Seats will have 32″ of pitch, and will be made of Japanese faux leather. Each seat will have USB-A and USB-C ports, as well as tablet holders. However, there will otherwise be no seatback entertainment.
AirJapan will have food & drinks for purchase
All AirJapan meals will be available for purchase. It will be possible to book a meal in advance for a set fee, and on top of that meals and snacks can be purchased onboard flights. The specific menu options will be announced once tickets go on sale later this year.
AirJapan flight attendant uniforms
AirJapan has also revealed its planned employee uniforms. AirJapan describes the uniforms as embodying the brand’s core values of “kindness to all.” The uniforms have a borderless design, promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce by incorporating gender-neutral options and enabling variations in coordination. Flight attendants will have the options of wearing skirts or pants, and a choice of sneakers or leather shoes.
Okay, I’m not sure what exactly to make of these uniforms. They’re kind of fun, though am I the only one who thinks the second uniform from the left is one you’d also expect a massage therapist to be wearing? Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but you typically wouldn’t assume there’s much overlap between flight attendant and massage therapist uniforms.
AirJapan boarding music
As someone who loves boarding music, I appreciate the fact that AirJapan has revealed its boarding music before even launching operations. Here’s how the music is described by Noel Hiyamizu, the composer behind this:
“This ensemble piece combines Japanese and Western instruments. The music’s traditional feel is contrasted by the modern vibe produced by the fresh grooves, and the classic Japanese sounds produced by the shakuhachi and koto complement the ensemble of the Western instruments and celebrate the beginning of a new journey. The title ‘Ai’ encompasses a wide range of meanings including ‘indigo,’ ‘love,’ ‘meetings’ and ‘encounters’ in Japanese.”
This music is AWESOME!
My take on ANA’s AirJapan concept
A few initial thoughts:
- The AirJapan name is interesting, because ANA already has Air Japan, which is the subsidiary with which the airline operates many regional flights
- This new airline concept sounds to me a whole lot like ZIPAIR, which is Japan Airlines’ long haul, low cost airline that operates Boeing 787s; the major difference is that ZIPAIR has a business class product, while AirJapan will exclusively have economy
- I know ANA is insisting that this isn’t a low cost carrier, but everything about the concept sounds like one — there will be no seatback entertainment, food & drinks will be available for purchase, and the airline will have low fares, so that those who “do not require additional options can reduce their travel costs”
I’m not expecting a huge amount of innovation here, but rather just All Nippon Airways copying Japan Airlines… minus business class.
Bottom line
All Nippon Airways plans to launch a new airline in February 2024, which will be named AirJapan. The airline will operate medium and long haul routes, using Boeing 787-8s that are in a one class configuration, featuring 324 seats. While seats will have power ports, they won’t have personal entertainment, and there’s also no mention of Wi-Fi.
What do you make of ANA’s new AirJapan airline concept?
Also, it has yet to be seen if this AirJapan will be actually cheaper than others. Just look at the US, the so-called low cost carriers are not really low cost.
The big question is will it be considered an ANA flight so it is part of the Star Alliance by default.
The theme music composition, agreed, is just awesome!!!!!! That's the standout ingredient in the airline intro so far, IMHO.
Hard to believe Japan Airlines can't sue Air Japan for infringement.
Can JAL start Air Nippon?
There is already Air China and China airlines.
Some of the uniforms look like pajamas …
I flew Air Japan twice 16, 17 years ago? NRT to HKG. Very standard but nice ANA service.
Haha, of course I'm talking about the current subsidiary that runs flights for NH, not this fascinating exciting carrier coming up. Looking forward to this!
Nice to see elements of 'traditional' Japanese music like the Koto and Shakuhachi in this lively airline musical
According to the AirJapan FAQ page it says that "Air Japan will operate ANA flights and AirJapan flights."
Am I the only one that at first glance thought the Uniforms had a mid-rift
lol, "midriff" is the word you want.
ANA already has a low cost airline - Peach.
Trust me, it's an airline from hell. Worst of Japanese + US service culture.
Also, for the love of god, why do AirJapan & Air Japan stuff, ANA?
So, is ANA still gonna have Air Japan (with a space) that currently fly their medium haul routes within Asia (eg. NRT-SIN) in combo with their long hauls (eg. ORD-NRT)? Or will they 'pair' the long hauls with AirJapan planes in some cases that way SQ fares sometimes show pairs with Scoot?
The livery looks a lot like LATAM & Air Premia in terms of color pallete. It's kind of bland IMO.
Anyway, I agree that this airline sounds a lot like Zipair except for the lack of a Business Class product. Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure they're the only long-haul, low-cost carrier not to have any sort of premium product.
I agree, the moment I saw that livery, the first thing that came to mind is Air Premia
If I saw that tail at an airport I would probably think Royal Jordanian
i flew zippair 787 lie flat from seoul to tokyo last week. it was odd to have a lie flat seat but Spirit airlines level service. as far as i could tell, even a bottle would have costed me $$. the back of the plane seemed to be almost completely full, but i was the only one in the entire 18 seat "business class" cabin.
there was almost no crew interaction aside from them...
i flew zippair 787 lie flat from seoul to tokyo last week. it was odd to have a lie flat seat but Spirit airlines level service. as far as i could tell, even a bottle would have costed me $$. the back of the plane seemed to be almost completely full, but i was the only one in the entire 18 seat "business class" cabin.
there was almost no crew interaction aside from them handing me an odd card asking to assist the crew facilitate evacuation (i wasnt in an exit row or anything). my requested duties in event of emergency included "keeping other passengers away from the exist door, standing in the aisle and shouting 'wait here' and 'leave your baggage' and then helping passengers evacuate the cabin after slides inflate". Seems that like that should all be the cabin crew's job, no?
You were chosen as an ABA (Able bodied assistant) to assist the FA's in case there is an emergency where there is time to plan. By holding pax back until the engines have stopped, the plane is stopped, the FA's have determined it is safe to open the doors, you allow them time to get the exits open before you/they get trampled by a panicking crowd. In the USA, FA's select ABA's during boarding -...
You were chosen as an ABA (Able bodied assistant) to assist the FA's in case there is an emergency where there is time to plan. By holding pax back until the engines have stopped, the plane is stopped, the FA's have determined it is safe to open the doors, you allow them time to get the exits open before you/they get trampled by a panicking crowd. In the USA, FA's select ABA's during boarding - law enforcement, FAM's, military, strong and able men and women to help in an emergency, the number depending on the type of aircraft. In the USA there is no card given out - kind of weird - but FA's identify these types of people so if an emergency occurs and there is time for planning, there is group of folks who can quickly be asked....
Are they the only ones going for wide body aircraft with no premium cabin? Norse, Norwegian, Scoot, Air Asia all have some kind of premium cabin. Is 324 seats a lot for 787? Seems not so much.
Not much to upsell so can it make money?
32 inches seat pitch is pretty generous for a low cost carrier. American, Delta, United and even ANA (on their pre-fitted 777s) offer 31 inches.
Overall, it sounds a lot like Scoot. Hope there is WiFi though. Can’t imagine why not as it’s a low-hanging gain in terms of passenger experience and another source of ancillary revenue.
Seems like an awful idea to have both AirJapan and Air Japan operate as separate entities, though maybe its just me?