Tokyo – Seattle early start

ANA has brought forward the launch its Tokyo – Seattle service to 25 July this year.  The Japanese airline will compete head-on with Delta and United airlines, both established on the route.  ANA said last December that it aimed to begin services from Narita much later in the year but has decided to launch the route ahead of schedule in order to capture passenger demand over the busy summer season.

The service will be flown daily, initially using the Boeing 777-300ER, with flights switching to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner during the course of the fiscal year.  This will make it the first ANA operation to the US to use the Dreamliner.  Because of its greatly improved fuel efficiency and range, the 787 is able to operate on longer routes where the market is not big enough to justify the use of jumbo-sized aircraft.

ANA currently serves eight destinations in the US with Seattle becoming the ninth. The airline also plans to launch services from Narita to San Jose during the 2012 fiscal year. www.ana.co.jp

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