Japan Airlines has confirmed it will be commencing a 787 to Helsinki in 2013, with a start date of the 25th February.
The service operates from Tokyo Narita to Helsinki on the following timetable:
JL413 DEPART NRT 11:45 ARRIVE HEL 15:00 JL414 DEPART HEL 17:25 ARRIVE NRT 10:15+1 See operation notes for dates of operation. Commences: 25th February 2013 Booked Equipment: Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Operates from 25/02/13 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday Operates daily from April 2013 subject to deliveries of aircraft
Initially the service will run 4 days a week, going daily when JAL gets an appropriate 787 delivered from Boeing.
JAL will seek to work with fellow oneworld partner Finnair to provide further connection into Europe, and demonstrates this with some of the connection times they are proposing with this service:
- Flying from Tokyo to Stockholm via Helsinki,will take 12 hours 30 minutes vs 16 hours if you go via Frankfurt – 3 hours 30 saving
- Flying from Tokyo to Budapest via Helsinki will take 14 hours and 40 minutes vs 17 hours and 45 minutes via Frankfurt. – 3 hours 5 minutes saving
Why is this? Helsinki’s location allow for shorter “Great Circle” distance flights which allow flights to the Far East to “short cut” over the North Pole region – much like Singapore Airlines run their ultra-long haul flight from Singapore to Newark. It’s also a matter of timing the connections so you have much less dead time changing planes whilst making sure those connections can be met safely. Finnair uses Helsinki as it hub – and it works in many respects due to the timings and connections.
JAL’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners are more of a nice reality that some that have been flying recently – operating a two class service:
- 46 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration
- 144 Economy Class Seats in a 2-4-2 configuration
Adding JAL to the mix will provide a new way to get to Tokyo – and for those in Economy class, the opportunity to experience the 787 at its best – rather than a squeezed compositied sardine can like some airlines are trying out…
And as we all love 787’s, you can win one in the GhettoIFE First Anniversary on Boarding Area prize draw!
Head to http://economyclassandbeyond.boardingarea.com/2012/10/10/ghettoifes-first-aniversary-on-boarding-area-giveaway/ and enter for the chance to win stuff… that.. umm.. is nothing like what I helped gave away last week.