North America-Asia: future of the trans-Pacific airline market

Japan Airlines is expected to open a Tokyo Narita-Seattle service, according to a report from the Puget Sound Business Journal. This meshes with JAL's own management plan, which calls for a new service to the US West Coast in the short term. Such a flight represents the next stage of growth in the trans-Pacific market.

CAPA's Americas Aviation Summit on 16 and 17 April 2018 in Houston will address topics relating to North America-Asia growth.

Asian airlines have been expanding on relatively easy routes where there is strong O&D or a partner hub. But increasingly Asian airlines will have to enter competitive markets, grow partnerships, and even enter a competitor's hub.

China Eastern was reported to be interested in service to United's Houston hub, but this has not eventuated. A Star or oneworld airline may be interested in services from Asia to Atlanta. US-China open skies will reshape the market. China's growth is significant but sometimes obscures the rest of Asia, and in particular the need for airlines to link Northeast Asian hubs with developing traffic out of Southeast Asia.