JAL announces 2006 Golden Week Traffic Forecast

Japan Airlines Group has announced that travel demand for the traditional Japanese “Golden Week’’ vacation, stretching this year from April 28 to May 7, is forecast to yield positive results on international and domestic routes. The number of international passenger reservations in the period is presently up by 4.8%, and domestic passenger reservations are up by 1.4% on the same period in 2005.

International passenger reservations during the 10-day period, made up by a combination of public holidays and weekends, currently stands at 196,435 in total, up 4.8% on the same vacation period last year. The forecast seat load factor is 71.7%. Last year in the same period, the group carried 187,438 international Golden Week passengers.

Passenger reservations to China are up by 48% on last year showing clear signs that leisure travel to this destination is back on the road to recovery. Anti-Japanese demonstrations in China in April last year led to a sharp drop in the number of Japanese visitors traveling there in 2005 and recovery of leisure travel to China has been slow.

Transpacific, Southeast Asia and Korea routes have significant increases in passenger bookings and are up respectively by 21.3%, 11.5% and 17% when compared to the same period last year.

From October last year JAL has reduced scheduled flight frequency on routes serving Honolulu and Guam and this capacity reduction, coupled with the suspension of services to Saipan, accounts for the decrease in the number of passengers able to travel with JAL to Pacific tourist destinations. At present there are high seat load factors on Hawaii, Transpacific and Europe routes: 87.6%, 87.2% and 84.6% respectively.

JAL Group domestic Golden Week passenger reservations total 1,254,835, 1.4% up on the same vacation period last year. The group plans to operate an additional 45 flights on domestic Japan routes to accommodate this increased demand. At present the domestic Japan seat load factor forecast is 64.9%.

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, JAL