Japan Air opted to stay with American because they have a 10-year relationship and out of concern that regulators wouldn’t grant the right to set fares with Delta, two people familiar with the matter said. Japan Air, also known as JAL, made its choice after five months of jockeying by the U.S. carriers.
“American’s tactically astute approach has paid off with a big win,”
Douglas Runte, managing director at Piper Jaffray & Co. in New York, said today. “And a win that appears to have been accomplished at far less cost in the form of capital infusions than many expected.”
