Anyone who has compared flights to Tokyo knows the two logos: JAL’s crane and ANA’s wing, yet Japan Airlines carries a 1951 founding date and a four-star Skytrax rating while competing head-to-head with ANA, Qantas and Cathay Pacific on safety scores, cabin comfort and route reach. This guide lays JAL’s 2024 record next to those three carriers, with AirlineRatings.com’s latest safety ranking as the factual anchor, so you’ll leave with a clear read on which airline fits how you actually fly.

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Founded: 1951 ·
Headquarters: Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan ·
Fleet size: 153 (2024) ·
Destinations: 96 (2024) ·
Alliance: oneworld ·
Skytrax rating: 4-star (2023)

Quick snapshot

1Confirmed facts
  • JAL ranked 20th in AirlineRatings.com’s 2024 top-25 safest airlines list; ANA placed 7th, Cathay Pacific 9th and Qantas 2nd (AirlineRatings.com).
  • Qantas finished 18 places ahead of JAL in the same ranking (Yahoo Finance Australia).
2What’s unclear
  • The January 2024 Haneda collision came after the 2024 evaluation window, according to Canberra CityNews, so its rating impact is untested (Canberra CityNews).
  • Fleet age separated Air New Zealand and Qantas by just 1.50 points — a factor JAL will have to close in future cycles (AirlineRatings.com).
3Timeline signal
  • The 2024 safety list was published in early January 2024 (Yahoo Finance Australia). (Travel Weekly)
  • Qantas was the previous year’s leading airline before slipping to 2nd (Travel Weekly).
4What’s next
  • Top-ranked carriers change fast: Qantas fell from 1st to 2nd in a year, so JAL’s 20th-place position could move sharply in either direction next cycle (Travel Weekly).

Six numbers define JAL’s current operation, and one pattern: it is a mid-sized full-service carrier with a global alliance reach, built on two Tokyo hubs.

Attribute Value
Founded August 1, 1951
Fleet size 153 aircraft (2024)
Destinations 96 (2024)
Alliance oneworld (since 2007)
Frequent flyer program JAL Mileage Bank
Hub airports Tokyo Narita (NRT) & Tokyo Haneda (HND)
Editor’s note

Company figures — fleet, destinations, hubs, alliance and Skytrax standing — are drawn from JAL’s published corporate data. Safety rankings and incident details come from the 2024 AirlineRatings.com list and the news coverage cited in this article.

Is Japan Airlines a good airline to fly with?

The short answer is yes — with two caveats. JAL’s service culture is routinely praised, but its economy hard product is not class-leading, and its 2024 safety position trails regional rivals.

Service quality and onboard experience

  • JAL’s published profile lists a 4-star Skytrax rating, one step below ANA’s 5-star score.
  • Travelers and reviewers consistently give JAL’s cabin crew and inflight meals high marks, part of the carrier’s omotenashi hospitality style.
  • Economy seat pitch runs 31–33 inches depending on aircraft; premium economy and business cabins are the stronger products.

The word “omotenashi” gets used a lot in airline marketing; with JAL, the crew training and meal presentation usually back it up. On long-haul routes, the business and premium economy cabins are where JAL competes best — reviewers single them out far more than the economy seat.

Punctuality and reliability records

  • JAL’s on-time performance has regularly exceeded 80% on domestic and international services.
  • The airline’s operating record keeps JAL inside the global top 25 for safety, despite the January 2024 Haneda collision.

Punctuality-wise, JAL’s domestic and short-haul services have a strong reputation for on-time departure, and its position in the 2024 safety ranking — covered below — suggests operational stability even after a difficult start to the year.

Passenger satisfaction surveys

  • In the AirlineRatings.com 2024 survey cited above, JAL placed 20th worldwide, behind ANA (7th), Cathay Pacific (9th) and Qantas (2nd).
  • JAL’s award-winning inflight meals and 4-star Skytrax standing keep it near the top of traveler polls among Japanese carriers.
The catch

The safety ranking deliberately ignores bird strikes, turbulence injuries, weather diversions and lightning strikes — the exact disruptions passengers feel most. A carrier can hold a strong safety score and still produce a bumpy, delayed trip.

Bottom line: The implication: JAL is a good airline for passengers who value service, food and reliability over the newest hard product. The weak spot is the economy cabin’s value-for-money, which is where most travelers actually sit.

Who is better, ANA or JAL?

ANA wins the headline numbers; JAL wins on certain routes and service intangibles. The honest answer depends on which cabin you fly and which alliance your points sit in.

Cabin comfort comparison

  • Skytrax rates ANA 5-star and JAL 4-star — the only gap between the two Japanese carriers in the main global audit.
  • JAL’s premium economy and business cabins are widely praised; its economy seat pitch of 31–33 inches is competitive but not the roomiest in the market.

Route networks and destinations

  • JAL serves 96 destinations across 35 countries from its Tokyo Narita and Haneda hubs.
  • ANA operates a larger fleet and a wider international route map.

For dense long-haul corridors, ANA’s bigger fleet generally means more departure choices; JAL counters with the practical advantage of its Haneda hub, which sits much closer to central Tokyo than Narita.

Frequent flyer programs

  • JAL runs JAL Mileage Bank inside the oneworld alliance; ANA runs ANA Mileage Club inside Star Alliance.
  • JAL’s oneworld membership gives its members earning and redemption access to American Airlines, Qantas and Cathay Pacific; ANA’s Star membership covers a different global network.

Safety records

  • AirlineRatings.com’s 2024 list ranks ANA 7th and JAL 20th — a meaningful gap, but both sit inside the global top 25.
  • Both Japanese carriers have excellent recent safety records, and neither has had a fatal accident in decades.

The pattern: ANA leads on raw scale and the 5-star Skytrax score; JAL leads on alliance convenience for oneworld loyalists and on service consistency. For most Japan-bound travelers, ANA is the safer-spec choice, JAL the cultural one.

Which airlines are partner airlines with Japan Airlines?

JAL’s partner story is really two stories: a global alliance with oneworld, and a set of regional subsidiaries that feed its domestic network.

oneworld alliance partners

  • JAL joined oneworld in 2007 and codeshares with members including American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas and Cathay Pacific.
  • These partnerships let JAL Mileage Bank members earn and redeem miles across each other’s networks.

Codeshare agreements beyond oneworld

  • Beyond the alliance, JAL holds codeshares with JetBlue, Alaska Airlines and Emirates.

Benefits of partner network

  • JAL Mileage Bank includes partner redemptions, so points earned on JAL can be spent across the oneworld map.
  • JAL does not operate full-service international subsidiaries outside Japan; long-haul growth runs through alliance partners instead.

The JAL group: owned and affiliated carriers

  • JAL owns regional carriers including Japan Transocean Air (JTA), J-Air and Japan Air Commuter, plus a stake in Hokkaido Air System.
  • These subsidiaries feed domestic passengers into JAL’s mainline international network.

The takeaway: JAL doesn’t need its own long-haul subsidiaries because oneworld covers the globe; its owned carriers exist to solve Japan’s domestic geography. For a traveler, that means a JAL ticket can be booked, earned and redeemed across a very wide partner set.

Is Japan Airlines better than Qantas?

On the 2024 AirlineRatings list, Qantas sits 2nd and JAL 20th — an 18-position gap that looks decisive until you remember both are oneworld partners competing for overlapping Australia–Japan routes.

Safety rating gap

  • Qantas was the previous year’s leading airline and lost the 2024 top spot to Air New Zealand by just 1.50 points (Travel Weekly).
  • The gap between 2nd and 20th is the widest spread in this four-carrier comparison.

Cabin product and service

  • JAL’s strength is consistent service and meal quality; Qantas’s is a dense frequent-flyer ecosystem that rewards high-tier travelers.
  • Both carriers run competitive premium cabins; JAL’s access to both Tokyo Haneda and Narita gives connecting travelers flexibility.

Network and loyalty overlap

  • JAL and Qantas are both oneworld members, so “JAL vs Qantas” is often a false choice — miles, status and lounge access transfer across the alliance.
  • The real comparison for most fliers comes down to schedule, price and cabin hardware on specific routes.
The upshot

On the 2024 AirlineRatings board, Qantas lands 18 places above JAL. For most passengers, that gap counts less than route access, cabin product and which alliance your points already sit in.

On paper, Qantas’s 2nd place finish dwarfs JAL’s 20th, but shared alliance infrastructure and route-specific variables realign the decision in practice.

What is the safest airline to fly to Japan?

“Safest” depends on whether you mean audit certification, absence of fatal accidents, or a ranked list. The 2024 AirlineRatings.com ranking covers all three in one composite score, and it puts four major Japan-capable carriers inside the top 25.

Safety ratings of airlines flying to Japan

  • Qantas ranked 2nd, ANA 7th, Cathay Pacific 9th and JAL 20th in AirlineRatings.com’s 2024 top-25 list; Cathay Pacific and Qantas also hold strong audit records.
  • The ranking weighed serious incidents, recent fatal accidents, audits by aviation and industry bodies, profitability, safety initiatives, pilot-training assessments and fleet age (AirlineRatings.com (specialist safety rating agency)).
  • The methodology examines crashes over a five-year period and serious incidents over a two-year period (Yahoo Finance Australia).
  • Events outside a carrier’s control — bird strikes, turbulence injuries, weather diversions and lightning strikes — are excluded from the score (Canberra CityNews).
  • Air New Zealand took the top spot in 2024; Qantas missed it by 1.50 points, with fleet age cited as the deciding factor, as noted in the snapshot.

Comparison of JAL, ANA, and other carriers

  • The methodology examines crashes over a five-year period and serious incidents over a two-year period (AirlineRatings.com).

Incident records and audits

  • The 1985 JAL Flight 123 crash — the deadliest single-aircraft accident in aviation history — triggered sweeping safety reforms; JAL has had no major accident since, and ANA’s last major accident dates to 1971.
  • JAL is certified under the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA).
  • All passengers and crew aboard the JAL aircraft were evacuated after the January 2, 2024 Haneda collision, while five occupants of the Japan Coast Guard aircraft died (Canberra CityNews).

What this means: ANA is the highest-ranked Japanese carrier on the 2024 list; JAL’s 20th place is still a top-25 global position. The Haneda evacuation demonstrated crew quality even though the incident itself sits outside the 2024 score.

What to watch

JAL’s crew evacuated every passenger after the January 2024 Haneda collision, but that same incident will enter future safety calculations. The 2024 ranking simply did not see it.

Four carriers, one pattern: all four sit inside AirlineRatings.com’s 2024 top 25, yet their ranks in this set span from Qantas at 2nd to JAL at 20th — the widest safety spread among the group.

Airline 2024 safety rank Alliance Profile in this comparison
Japan Airlines 20th oneworld Tokyo Narita & Haneda hubs; 153 aircraft; 96 destinations; 4-star Skytrax
ANA 7th Star Alliance Larger fleet and more international routes; 5-star Skytrax
Qantas 2nd oneworld Previous year’s leader; lost the top spot by 1.50 points
Cathay Pacific 9th oneworld AirlineRatings placed it three positions behind ANA in the 2024 list

JAL’s 20th-place safety rank trails Qantas and ANA, but the carrier’s strong operational record and oneworld reach mean most travelers will prioritize schedule, price, and alliance fit over the ranking gap.

The table clarifies the hierarchy: within oneworld alone, JAL sits behind Qantas and Cathay Pacific, leaving ANA as the leading Japanese carrier on the 2024 AirlineRatings board.

Japan Airlines pros and cons

Upsides

  • IOSA-certified with no major accidents since the 1985 reforms.
  • 96 destinations across 35 countries plus oneworld global reach.
  • Cabin crew and inflight meals earn consistently high marks.
  • Premium economy and business cabins are widely praised.
  • Full hub access at both Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Haneda.

Downsides

  • 4-star Skytrax rating, one step behind ANA’s 5-star score.
  • Economy seat pitch of 31–33 inches is competitive, not generous.
  • 20th place on AirlineRatings’ 2024 list trails ANA, Cathay Pacific and Qantas.
  • A fleet of 153 aircraft is smaller than ANA’s, limiting frequency on some long-haul routes.

The balance tilts toward JAL for travelers prioritizing service and oneworld connectivity over raw cabin specification and safety rank.

Confirmed facts vs. what’s still unclear

Confirmed facts

  • JAL is a 4-star Skytrax airline (Skytrax).
  • JAL has been a oneworld member since 2007 (oneworld).
  • JAL operated 153 aircraft and served 96 destinations in 2024 (JAL corporate data).
  • JAL’s main hubs are Tokyo Narita and Tokyo Haneda (Wikipedia).

What’s unclear

  • Where JAL lands in global “best airline” surveys varies by methodology and year.
  • Route changes beyond 2024 have not been confirmed.
  • Whether JAL will introduce a redesigned economy seat.
  • How the January 2024 Haneda collision will shape future safety ratings, since it fell outside the 2024 evaluation window.

The known facts confirm JAL’s operational baseline; the open questions depend on future investment cycles and regulatory reviews.

What the safety reviewers say

“Qantas lost the top position to Air New Zealand by a margin of 1.50 points.”

— AirlineRatings.com, aviation safety rating agency

“All passengers and crew aboard the Japan Airlines aircraft were evacuated after the collision, while five occupants of the Coast Guard aircraft died.”

— Canberra CityNews, Australian news outlet

“The ranking examined crashes over a five-year period and serious incidents over a two-year period.”

— Yahoo Finance Australia, business news

JAL enters the next safety cycle with proof that its crew training works under pressure and a structural gap: it trails ANA by 13 places in AirlineRatings.com’s 2024 list and Qantas by 18. For a traveler booking Tokyo from North America or Australia, the decision is practical, not sentimental — choose JAL when oneworld routing, Haneda convenience and crew service outweigh the headline rankings; choose ANA or Qantas when the rating gap and network scale matter more to the trip.

Related reading

  • Japan Airlines vs ANA vs Qantas vs Cathay Pacific: safety-rating comparison guide for 2024 — AirlineRatings.com

This guide covers the core landscape; follow the linked source for the full AirlineRatings.com methodology.

Related reading: Japan Airlines vs ANA vs Qantas vs Cathay Pacific: safety-rating comparison guide for 2024

Additional sources

truely.com, qazinform.com

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Frequently asked questions

How does Japan Airlines compare to Cathay Pacific in economy?

JAL’s economy seat pitch runs 31–33 inches depending on the aircraft, which is competitive but not the roomiest in the market. Both carriers are oneworld members and appeared in AirlineRatings.com’s 2024 top-25 safety list — JAL at 20th, Cathay Pacific at 9th. For most passengers, the deciding factors are route, schedule and price on a specific date.

Is Japan Airlines a member of a frequent flyer alliance?

Yes. Japan Airlines joined oneworld in 2007. Its loyalty program is JAL Mileage Bank, and members can earn and redeem miles across oneworld carriers including American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas and Cathay Pacific.

Can I use miles from American Airlines on Japan Airlines?

Yes. Because both airlines are oneworld members, JAL Mileage Bank miles and American Airlines AAdvantage miles can be redeemed across each other’s networks per oneworld partner rules. Availability depends on route and travel date.

Does Japan Airlines have a lounge at Narita?

JAL operates its own lounges at Tokyo Narita for first-class, business-class and elite-status passengers. Access rules depend on cabin class and JAL Mileage Bank tier, so it is worth checking eligibility before the trip.

How can I check in for a Japan Airlines flight?

JAL offers online, mobile and airport check-in, and the manage-booking section of its website covers seat selection, baggage and boarding passes. For international flights, having travel documents ready speeds up the airport process.

Which is safer, JAL or ANA?

Both airlines have strong audit records. In AirlineRatings.com’s 2024 top-25 safety list, ANA ranked 7th and JAL 20th. JAL’s last major accident dates to 1985, and the carrier is IOSA-certified; neither airline has experienced a fatal accident in recent decades.