Oneworld Alliance carrier Japan Airlines
(JAL) is adding a second flight to Chicago this summer, linking the Windy City with Tokyo’s Narita Airport. The flights will begin at the end of May and will be a codeshare operation with American Airlines.
Twice as nice
Japan Airlines confirmed today that the new route between Chicago O’Hare International Airport
(ORD) and Tokyo Narita Airport
(NRT) will commence on May 31st, 2025. According to the airline, the flight has been added to meet the demand between Japan and North America and the connecting demand between Southeast Asia, India, and North America.
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The flight will operate as a codeshare with American Airlines
, allowing both airlines to utilize their extensive domestic networks to foot traffic onto the intercontinental flights. The services are conveniently timed, with the westbound leg arriving the afternoon following departure from Chicago and the eastbound journey arriving the same afternoon of its departure from Tokyo. The flight timings are as follows:
Flight |
Departure |
Arrival |
---|---|---|
JL055 |
Chicago O’Hare – 12:30 |
Tokyo Narita – 15:15 (+1) |
JL056 |
Tokyo Narita – 18:15 |
Chicago O’Hare – 16:00 |
From September 1st to October 25th, 2025, the schedule will shift slightly, with the plane arriving in Chicago at 15:45 and departing twenty minutes earlier at 12:10.
Photo: O’Hare International Airport
Tickets for the new route will go on sale on February 3rd.
A busy corridor
While JAL has not revealed which aircraft it will use to operate the new route, the carrier’s existing service from Chicago O’Hare to Tokyo Haneda Airport
(HND) is operated with the airline’s fleet of Boeing 777-300ER
aircraft.
The carrier has confirmed that it will not drop the Haneda connection in favor of the Narita route. It will continue to operate both routes this year, with flight JL9 from Chicago to Haneda switching from lunchtime to a 01:30 departure on June 1st. Following the change, the flight will arrive in Tokyo at 04:20 the day after departure.
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All of these routes are served at least daily.
Japan Airlines (and oneworld
partner American Airlines) face competition from several legacy airlines on the route. Star Alliance carrier United Airlines
will continue to serve Tokyo Haneda daily from its hub at Chicago O’Hare with a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner. Fellow Star Alliance carrier All Nippon Airways
(ANA) serves Chicago with daily Boeing 777-300ER flights from both of Tokyo’s airports.
Photo: O’Hare International Airport
In addition to its new Chicago route, JAL will increase frequencies on flights to several US destinations this year.
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More flights to Japan
Japan is also boosting capacity on several US routes this year to “accommodate the high demand.” On March 30th, 2025, the carrier’s route from Tokyo Narita to San Diego International Airport
(SAN) in California will become a daily operation, up from four times weekly.
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Hawaii is also getting a significant boost in Japan Airlines flights. The carrier’s flights to Honolulu International Airport
(HNL) from Osaka Kansai (KIX) and Chubu Centrair (NGO) will rise daily between July 18th and October 25th, up from five and four weekly services, respectively. Japan Airlines will also add a second daily rotation between Narita and Honolulu for the month of July.
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Japan Airlines has further revealed plans for its new Airbus A350-1000
aircraft. The widebody jet will be introduced on the Haneda-Paris (CDG) route starting May 1st and is initially scheduled to operate every other day. The carrier also confirmed that it will use the new plane to serve Los Angeles (LAX) this summer, with the exact dates it will be operating to be disclosed at a later date.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
Los Angeles will also see an increase in flights to Osaka Kansai
, from five weekly flights to daily operations in July.
The additional flights to the US follow JAL’s international partnership agreement that it signed with Major League Baseball (MLB) at the end of last year. The partnership will organize spectator tours and introduce other initiatives to contribute to the flow of people between Japan and the United States.