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JAL to Cut Routes and 6,800 Jobs; DAL Deal in Works

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Amish RakeFight

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/business/global/16air.html?_r=1&hpw


September 16, 2009

Japan Airlines to Cut Routes and 6,800 Jobs

By HIROKO TABUCHI
TOKYO — Japan Airlines said Tuesday that it would cut 6,800 jobs, trim routes and quickly secure emergency funds from an overseas carrier, stepping up restructuring efforts amid mounting losses that threaten to pull the company under.

Delta Air Lines, the world’s biggest airline, and American Airlines are battling over a stake in Japan Airlines, which had a loss of ¥99 billion, or $1 billion, in the three months that ended in June.

Japan Airlines is also reportedly in talks with Air France-KLM and Korean Air Lines over investments amounting to several hundred million dollars, which would give the successful bidder a minority stake in the carrier.

Japan Airlines, the biggest carrier in the country, is struggling to stay afloat despite three government bailouts since 2001. It was hurt by a slump in air travel, the continuing weakness of the Japanese economy and what many analysts see as years of mismanagement.

On Tuesday, the president of Japan Airlines, Haruka Nishimatsu, said to reporters that the company would cut 6,800 jobs over three years and carry out a reorganization of its routes, many of which lose money.

He said the airline, known as JAL, aimed to conclude talks by mid-October on a tie-up with an overseas carrier, but declined to comment on a likely partner or how much JAL hoped to raise. He did not specify how many routes the airline planned to cut or change.

Japan Airlines hopes that a cash infusion from an overseas partner, as well as a drastic turnaround plan, will persuade its creditors to provide fresh capital.

The cash could also let the airline upgrade to newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft and turn around money-losing routes by teaming up with a new partner.

Meanwhile, JAL’s rivals are looking to expand abroad to tap a lucrative market in international business travel.

For Delta, a stake in JAL would add to its trans-Pacific and Asian routes and secure access to coveted berths at the busy Narita International Airport in Tokyo. But Delta is still integrating its $2.6 billion purchase of Northwest and it lost $1.05 billion in the first six months of 2009.

A Delta-JAL deal would hurt American, which could see its current code-sharing agreement with JAL canceled. American lacks a hub in Asia and is expected to bid hard to keep its ties with JAL.

An investment in Japan Airlines would be a high-stakes deal for any player in an industry exposed to wild swings in profitability. Moreover, equity ties between airlines have been rare, with carriers forging looser alliances like code sharing on flights.

An alliance with JAL could be beneficial for U.S. airlines in light of recent talks between the American and Japanese governments on a so-called “open skies” agreement that could open up trans-Pacific routes to greater competition.

Only two U.S. passenger airlines — Delta and United Airlines — are permitted to fly between Narita Airport and cities in the United States.

Despite the potential advantages for the bidders, analysts say that JAL needs to show it is serious about turning itself around if it is to ink a deal.

The company has already forecast a ¥63 billion loss for the current fiscal year, which ends next March. Although it recently secured ¥100 billion in government-backed loans, analysts say the airline needs at least ¥250 billion to get through the year.

JAL is mired in negotiations with its eight unions over staff and pay cuts, holding back the company’s restructuring efforts. The company’s holdings, which include a global hotel chain and credit card business, have also drained its resources. Meanwhile, the carrier is losing out to its rival, All Nippon Airways, on domestic routes.

“On one hand, it’s not a such an expensive purchase, considering the possible rewards,” said Yasuhiro Matsumoto, an analyst at Shinsei Securities. On the other, “nobody wants to invest in a company in such dire straits.”

Yiyi Jiang contributed to this report from Tokyo.
 
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/economy/ap/59161397.html

Japan Airlines shares soar; American Airlines, Delta Air Lines reportedly mulling stakes

By: TOMOKO A. HOSAKA
Associated Press
09/13/09 11:10 PM EDT


TOKYO — Shares of Japan Airlines Corp. surged Monday amid speculation that American Airlines and Delta Air Lines may buy stakes in the money-losing carrier.

Under a major restructuring plan, the airline known as JAL, is looking to raise 250 billion yen ($2.8 billion) from banks, investment funds and airlines including Delta, according to the Nikkei financial daily.

Japan's largest airline said in a statement Monday that media reports of tie-ups with foreign carriers are not based on official information from the company and that nothing has been decided.

JAL stock was up 6.8 percent at 174 yen at the end of morning trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, beating a sharp slump in the overall market. The Nikkei 225 stock average tumbled 2.5 percent to 10,186.63 as the dollar fell to seven-month lows against the yen.

Hit by plummeting demand amid a slumping global economy and swine flu fears, JAL incurred its biggest-ever quarterly net loss of 99 billion yen ($1 billion) in the three months to June.

Delta is in preliminary discussions about buying a stake in JAL for about $300 million. The U.S. airline giant could become a leading shareholder in JAL and get coveted access to Haneda Airport, close to Tokyo's business district, according to a person briefed on the Delta situation.

The Nikkei said Delta has offered to invest as much as 50 billion yen ($550 million), which would give it a 11.2 percent stake in JAL.

Delta's rival American Airlines is also negotiating a possible investment, according to a person familiar with the talks. American would like to form a joint business venture with JAL, in which the two carriers would seek antitrust immunity to work closely in setting schedules and prices for service around the world, according to the person, who spoke over the weekend on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks.

American and JAL already have a so-called code-sharing agreement in which they sell seats on each other's flights. If they won immunity from antitrust laws, they could cooperate in setting prices and schedules. For example, instead of each operating a Chicago-to-Tokyo flight around the same time, they could stagger the flights to maximize traffic while splitting the revenue.

Delta doesn't have a Japanese partner. A Delta-JAL hookup would raise doubts about JAL's ability to remain in oneworld, an alliance of airlines that includes American and British Airways. Delta is in another alliance, called SkyTeam, which also includes Air France-KLM.

JAL is also reportedly in talks with Air France-KLM over a capital tie-up, Japan's top-selling newspaper the Yomiuri, reported this weekend.

JAL has forecast a net loss of 63 billion yen for the fiscal year to March 2010, and plans to cut the number of flights and slash costs by 53 billion yen during the current fiscal year and another 100 billion yen in the next fiscal year.

The Nikkei said JAL would cut 4,700 jobs equal to about 10 percent of its group work force under the restructuring plan. The airline will also sell subsidiaries and assets to raise capital.
 
Cathay will enter the fray with a bid - colluding with JAL and the eventual winners (Air China) on a deal. Watch this space.

Cathay is part of oneworld. I would expect the "oneworld" team would pool their money in an effort to keep JAL.

AA
 

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