JAL to cut 61 international flights to China, Mexico

Struggling Japan Airlines Corp. said Thursday it will cut 61 weekly round-trip passenger flights on 10 international routes and three cargo flights on one route from December to January to help improve business performance.

The cut will come in addition to a reduction of 82 weekly passenger flights on 14 international routes and three cargo flights on one route announced earlier for the second half of fiscal 2009.

The new cut includes the elimination of all 14 weekly flights to Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

JAL will also withdraw from two other Chinese cities — Qingdao in Shandong Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province — and from Mexico.

But the carrier will increase the number of weekly flights to Vancouver, British Columbia, by two to seven from Jan. 18 to meet expected demand for the Winter Olympics.

JAL also said it will cut 13 daily domestic flights on eight routes between February and June in addition to nine flights on seven routes as earlier announced.

Earlier in the day, a group of JAL retirees submitted a petition to the health ministry, seeking negotiation on the much-rumored cut to the corporate pension benefits.

"If it is true, it will gravely affect the lives of retirees," the group said in a statement, referring to the possibility that the government will draft a bill to enable pension benefit cuts.

"The right to receive pension is stipulated by law," said Takahiro Fukushima, 67, a group member.