Japan Airlines (IATA code: JL) or commonly referred as JAL, is the second largest airline company in Japan after All Nippon Airways, with two main hubs located in Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport). JAL has won prestigious awards such as becoming the world’s best airline for its on time performance service, top 100 Airlines in 2016, World’s Best Airline for Economy Class Travel in 2016, World’s Best Airline for Premium Economy Class Travel, and much more. JAL offers four cabin classes on their long-haul international flights, which are Economy Class, Premium Economy Class, Business Class, and First Class. Each passenger can spend their times exploring a vast collection of entertainment during their flights. JAL’s in-flight entertainment includes a variety of films, audio programs, games, sky mangas, and digital books. Since April 2017, JAL’s in-flight entertainment facility has been powered with audio description and captions, so passengers with visual or hearing disabilities can still enjoy the facility. JAL also provides a frequent flyer program called JAL Mileage Bank. There are at least four membership classes in the Japan Airlines frequent flyer program, which are Crystal, Sapphire, JGC Premier, and Diamond. Each point received from any flight with Japan Airlines can be redeemed for a variety of interesting promotions and offers from Japan Airlines, such as additional baggage capacity, priority boarding, airport lounge access, cabin class upgrade, and much more. Passengers can easily join the frequent flyer program by registering themselves through JAL’s official website www.jal.co.jp and go to JAL Mileage menu. Each JAL passenger is also entitled to two items of cabin baggage, with the total weight not exceeding 10kg. While all passengers are entitled to the same amount of cabin baggage, the checked baggage allowance varies depending on the route and seat class. Economy Class, Premium Economy Class, and Business Class passengers flying on a domestic route are entitled to 20 kg of checked baggage, while First Class passengers on a domestic route are entitled to 45 kg of checked baggage. There are no limitations to the number of bags, but the size must be within 50cm x 60cm x 120cm. For international routes, Economy Class and Premium Economy Class passengers are entitled to two pieces of checked baggage, each weighing no more than 23 kg, while Business Class and First Class passengers are entitled to three pieces of checked baggage, each weighing no more than 32 kg. Checked baggage items must not exceed 203 cm in dimension, including the wheel and handle. All passengers are also recommended to check-in at least 60 minutes before departure. Domestic passengers can check-in directly at the airport check-in counters, or by using the Self Service Check-in and Ticketing Kiosk. International passengers can also check-in directly at the airport check-in counters, or by using the automatic check-in machines. As an alternative, international passengers can also check-in through JAL’s online or web check-in service, where passengers can also choose their own seats. To use this service, passengers just need to access JAL’s official website and access the web check-in menu under the international flight segment.

Established on 1 August 1951, Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. was founded after the Japanese government administration admit that their country needs a reliable air transportation system to help Japan recover and grow after World War II. Japan Airlines was built with a 100 million yen of initial capital and a headquarter in Ginza, Chuo, Tokyo. Between 27 August to 29 August 1951, the airline operated invitational flights with one Douglas DC-3 Kinsei, borrowed from the Philippine Airlines. On 25 October 1951, JAL finally flew their first domestic flight after World War II with a Martin 2-0-2 aircraft called Mokusei, with the crew leased from Northwest Airlines. In 1953, JAL developed their flight route to the northern Japan area, which includes new flight routes from Tokyo to Sapporo and Misawa. JAL also developed new flight routes to western Japan area with flight routes to Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka Iwakuni. One year later, JAL finally had its first international flight, carrying 18 passengers from Tokyo to Honolulu and San Fransisco using a Douglas DC-6B aircraft. In 1960, JAL ordered its first jet plane, the Douglas DC-8. The aircraft was named “Fuji” and was used to serve international routes from Tokyo to Honolulu and San Francisco. In the same year, JAL also opened new flight routes to Seattle and Hong Kong. Until the end of 1961, JAL had transpolar flights from Tokyo to Seattle, Copenhagen, London and Paris via Anchorage, Alaska and to Los Angeles and San Francisco via Honolulu, Hawaii. During the 1960s, JAL flew to many cities around the world, including Moscow, New York, and Pusan. JAL started to serve European flights via Anchorage in 1961 using DC-8s, while services to Europe via India started in 192 using Convair 880s. In October 1963, JAL merged with Japan Aircraft Maintenance Co., Ltd, and later established Japan Domestic Airlines Co., Ltd. with the merger of Nitto Aviation Co., Ltd., FUJI AIR LINE Co., Ltd., and North Japan Airlines Co., Ltd. in April 1964. On 20 April 1974, China and Japan signed a Civil Air Transport Agreement, which caused the suspension of air routes between Taiwan and Japan. However, a new subsidiary, Japan Asia Airways, was established on 8 August 1975, and air services between the two countries were restored on 15 September. During the 1970s, JAL had added new aircraft to its fleet, including Boeing 727, Boeing 747, and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 to serve its growing routes within Japan and to other countries. In 1978, JAL added new routes to Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, through Anchorage and San Juan. In the 1980s, JAL served special flights for the Crown Prince Akihito and Crown Princess Michiko of Japan, Pope John Paul II, and for Japanese prime minister, until the introduction of the dedicated government aircraft using two Boeing 747-400, operated as Japanese Air Force One and Japanese Air Force Two. Within that decade, JAL also introduced new fleets, which include Boeing 747-100SR, Boeing 747-SUD, and Boeing 767 jet to replace their Boeing 727 and Douglas DC-8 aircraft. In 1987, Japan Airlines was completely privatized, with the other two Japanese airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Air System (JAS), permitted to compete with JAL on domestic and international routes. This increasing competition resulted in changes to the airline's corporate structure, which was reorganized into three divisions: international passenger service, domestic passenger service, and cargo service. In the 1990s, JAL started their decade by evacuating Japanese citizens from Iraq, just before the beginning of the historic Gulf War. In October 1990, JAL founded Japan Air Charter. Six years later, JAL became the official airline partner for Tokyo Disneyland. The next year, JAL founded JAL Express in April 1997, with Boeing 737 used for its operations. Over the years, JAL continues to grow and has become the second largest airline company in Japan after All Nippon Airways and the sixth largest airline in the world. In 2015, JAL employed at least 47,000 people, served flights to 220 destinations across 35 countries all over the world, flew more than 52 million passengers, and more than 1.1 million ton of cargo and letters.