Japan Airlines (JAL) (Tokyo) and fellow oneworld® alliance members British Airways (London) and Finnair (Helsinki) will start their planned joint business venture between Europe and Japan starting on April 1, 2014.

The joint business means that the three airlines will share revenue and cooperate on scheduling and pricing between Japan and Europe, providing customers with more flexible routing options and an attractive range of fares.

Last October, Japanese regulators gave approval to the airlines’ plans to include Finnair in the joint business established in 2012 by British Airways and Japan Airlines, and in February the three airlines began selling joint fares on select routes for travel after April 1.

The joint business opens up all three airlines’ networks between Japan and Europe and allows the airline partners to cooperate on expanding their presence in this growing and important market. The agreement also strengthens the oneworld alliance and enables it to compete more effectively around the world with other global alliances.

Currently, Finnair flies daily from Helsinki to Tokyo and daily in summer (five times per week in the winter) to Osaka and Nagoya, connecting Japan to more than 50 Finnair destinations in Europe. Japan Airlines also operates daily from Tokyo to Helsinki, Frankfurt, Paris and London, while British Airways operates daily flights (from April 9) from London to both Narita and Haneda airports in Tokyo.

Copyright Photo: Wingnut/AirlinersGallery.com. JAL’s Boeing 777-346 ER JA735J (msn 32434) taxies at Los Angeles International Airport.

JAL-Japan Airlines: