We looked at the troubled history of Japan Airlines not too long ago and in that piece, covered the problems facing its rebirth as the company tries to get past its huge debts, money-losing roots, oversized legacy business and union troubles.
It also has an image problem. Not just in Japan, where the stigma of bankruptcy coupled with fallen prices will live long with it, but also overseas, where it has long since been looked upon as overpriced for the level of service it offers.
Now comes the first step in JAL trying to change that as the company has just revealed that it is returning to its classic red crane logo – first used in the 1950s.
The airline unveiled the first of its planes with the logo on the tail at Tokyo’s Haneda airport in the morning before flying the Boeing 767 plane for a nonregular service with tour passengers to and from Kushiro airport in Hokkaido in the afternoon.
JAL hopes the revived logo will become a symbol of its rehabilitation as it plans to exit from its rehabilitation process at the end of March with new loans from its main creditors.
As for regular flights, the airline will start using aircraft with the logo for its flight between Haneda and Beijing on March 2 and fly the aircraft mainly for international routes linking Tokyo and other Asian cities.
JAL plans to have all its aircraft carry the red crane logo in about eight years by introducing new planes or repainting old planes.