SkyTeam Shows Strong Interest In Wooing JAL

KELLY OLSEN

INCHEON, South Korea (AP) — Executives with SkyTeam alliance said Thursday they want Japan Airlines to join their group and suggested that doing so could be a boon for the troubled carrier.

"We would be keenly interested to see whether JAL would be interested to join SkyTeam as a potential partner," said Leo van Wijk, chairman of SkyTeam, one of three major alliances of global airlines. He spoke at a news conference after a meeting of the group's governing board.

Delta Air Lines, the world's biggest airline operator, is a member of SkyTeam. Other members include Air France-KLM and Korean Air.

Japan Airlines currently belongs to the rival oneworld group, which includes American Airlines.

It's unclear whether JAL would remain with oneworld if SkyTeam were to offer a better, more lucrative deal at a time when the Japanese airline is trying to restructure and stem a record flow of red ink.

JAL, which is Japan's biggest airline and can offer partners access to the world's second-biggest economy, has reportedly been in talks on financial tie-ups with SkyTeam's Delta Air and France-KLM, as well as oneworld's American Airlines, British Airways and Qantas.