Jaunted

The countries reached the air services agreement late Friday after new talks in Washington aimed at bringing service parameters struck in 1952 into the modern era. 'Achieving open skies with Japan, a major U.S. transportation and trade partner, has been a longstanding U.S. goal, and is good news for air travelers and businesses on both sides of the Pacific,' U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. U.S. carriers have long sought a more open agreement with Japan but the countries were divided over Japan’s insistence on maintaining strict controls over access to Tokyo Narita International Airport.

One of the other very real upshots is that it opens up Japan even to airlines that aren't engaged in billion dollar bids to partner with JAL. To seal the pact, Japan had to agree to loosen some of its restrictions on Narita, something they've kind of famously resisted in the past. That's why Continental—a Star Alliance member who has no skin in the fight and currently has limited access to Japan—is so happy this morning.

That said, don't expect any new routes or breathtaking price drops in the near term. First, these things take time. Second, US anti-trust regulators still have to sign off on the legitimacy of the deal. Third, we're still in a global economic downtown. And maybe most importantly, no one is going to make any moves until JAL figures out whether it's staying or going. So there's that.

[Photo: Terence Ong / Wiki Commons]

Related Stories:
· U.S., Japan Reach Open Skies Pact [Journal Of Commerce]
· Japan Travel Coverage [Jaunted]
· Open Skies [Jaunted]