Word: jal
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Months of speculation came to an end on Tuesday afternoon as Japan Airlines (JAL), the country's 59-year-old flagship carrier that once symbolized the strength of Japan Inc., filed for bankruptcy with two of its subsidiaries. Weighted by debts estimated at $25.6 billion (2.3 trillion yen), Japan Airlines Corp., Japan Airlines International and JAL Capital made history today as what is perhaps Japan's largest nonfinancial corporate failure. With a long record of unprofitable earnings, the airline has taken a hit from weak travel demand after SARS and H1N1, fuel surcharges and the global recession...
...Rather than going belly up, however, Asia's largest airline by revenue is getting the lift it needs to stay in the sky - but not without shedding some bulk. With the government keen on keeping Japan's largest carrier in business, JAL is now set to transition into a three-year, state-backed restructuring plan. Before JAL's filing on Tuesday, Transport Minister Seiji Maehara said, "The government wants to continue to support JAL to ensure its continued stable and safe operations." The Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corp. of Japan (ETIC), a quasi-government entity that buys the debt of troubled...
...JAL will receive an investment of about 300 billion yen ($3.3 billion) from the ETIC, which the flailing airline approached in October, in addition to hundreds of billions of yen in debt waivers from its main lenders. In addition, the ETIC and the state-backed Development Bank of Japan will extend JAL a credit line of more than $3.5 billion. Key measures of the restructuring plan include cutting more than 15,000 jobs, or about 30% of its workforce, by the end of 2013, paring down to about half of its 110 group firms, and slashing unprofitable international and domestic...
...With its wings clipped, JAL hopes for smooth progress under the ETIC. There will be no disruption in the payment of leasing fees or credits, and the airline will continue to honor frequent-flyer mileage and tickets. But some analysts wonder if JAL can continue to grow as a business during such a massive restructuring. Yasuhiro Matsumoto, senior analyst at Shinsei Securities in Tokyo, says he's split between whether bankruptcy and ETIC help is the best path for the airline. "It's clear that there's government support, but we don't know the future of JAL's business...
...airline industry is suffering worldwide, but ANA has fared better than its main competitor, Japan Airlines (JAL), which has three times the number of international flights as ANA. While JAL recently announced job cuts before it starts a massive restructuring plan with government help, ANA's image has been improving - in part because of moves like this one. Rather than cut services and leave passengers in the cold - remember the disappearing blankets? - to reduce costs and be a greener airline, ANA is asking passengers to get involved. And in Japan, sometimes a little suggestion is met with...