Japan Airlines Co. and All Nippon Airways Co. filed applications with the Transport Ministry this week to drastically discount air fares from the United States to Japan to counter fare cuts by American carriers, spokesmen for the two Japanese carriers said Friday.
JAL's proposed fare cuts cover round-trip flights from 32 U.S. cities to eight cities in Japan at rates up to 50 percent less than ordinary fares, the JAL spokesman said. Discounts vary depending on flights and time schedules.
Discount tickets must be purchased two weeks in advance, with passengers leaving the U.S. between May 22 and July 25 and returning by the end of July. A round-trip, weekday flight from Chicago to Tokyo will cost $875, compared with the usual price of $1,300 in June and $1,600 in July.