“Although the concept of a JV is familiar to our Japanese customers, this trans-Pacific joint venture is new,” he says. “It will also be new to customers in the US and Canada when we expand. We are now a single virtual company for the applicable areas. The challenge lies in customers’ understanding of this new concept at first, but it is up to us to make it simple. One-stop shopping is the idea. Once they experience it, they will see the full benefits.”
Apart from the customer aspect, there are other more behind-the-scenes issues that the two airlines will have to address.