JAL to leave OneWorld and join SkyTeam
 

Too bad because it is a great airline but they are having financial difficulties and Delta can provide more financial backing than AA.

Loved their First Class Lounge in Heathrow.

Y, too bad. I believe this will hurt AA - they've been looking to strengthen NA/Asia route network where they are relatively weak compared to DL/NW and UAL.

Sorry to hear this. We thoroughly enjoyed JAL's executive class recently (via AA air miles), and their Sakura Lounge at NRT was the best airline lounge I've ever been in.

Not so fast. The Yomiuri report is being denied by JAL. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...p0OPTLKc&pos=5

I hope your report is correct. I really like JAL and hope they do stay with OW.

Oh, I hope they stay with AA!

If they don't, what does that do for getting to Asia using AA miles?

Ditto....hoping the Bloomberg news is more accurate. I too really like JAL and fly them as much as I can whenever I get the chance to go to Asia.

<i> If they don't, what does that do for getting to Asia using AA miles?</i>

I guess CX- Cathay Pacific - would be the primary airline of OW to Asia.

Is it still possible to book a OW award ticket or rtw ticket using JAL flights?

AA will still be flying to Japan and China plus as mentioned above CX. That said I hope the Bloomberg report is more accurate than the Japanese business paper that I read, and JAL will be the 3rd option.

not "the" 3rd option, but "a 3rd option" :-)

If the switch does happen, it will be sometime early in 2011 so I assume you should be able to book OW award or RTW tickets incorporating JAL, at least in the near future.

JAL and DL have the biggest market shares between US and Japan. They will have a very hard time getting anti-trust approval to run the US-Japan routes as joint-venture. [History case: AA-BA for US-UK.]

The proposed NH/UA/CO joint-venture will be a lot easier for the anti-trust to clear.