Japan is home to two of the finest legacy carriers currently gracing the world's skies: Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA). These two airlines both made the Top 5 in SKYTRAX's most recent World Airline Awards, demonstrating their level of excellence.

On certain routes, passengers may find that they have an option between this pair of esteemed airlines, but which one would be the better choice? Let's take a look and find out.

Destinations served

According to data from Cirium, as of November 2023, Japan Airlines serves 51 domestic and 37 international destinations. Meanwhile, ANA serves 60 domestic destinations and has a similar global reach at 37 international destinations.

A Japan Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner about to land.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Both airlines also fly out of the two major Tokyo airports - Haneda and Narita. Overall, ANA is slightly ahead in terms of where one can travel with the airline. However, the gap is further widened when you consider the extensive reach of the two alliances to which these carriers belong.

Japan Airlines is part of the oneworld alliance, which serves over 940 destinations in 173 territories, according to data from Flight Connections. Meanwhile, Star Alliance - to which ANA belongs - has its member airlines flying to 1,182 destinations in 194 countries worldwide. A key is its intra-Africa offerings with Ethiopian Airlines, something not fully realized with oneworld despite Royal Air Maroc's recent entry.

An All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 flying in the sky.
Photo: Daisuke Shimizu | Shutterstock

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Fleet comparison

Japan Airlines and ANA have reasonably modern fleets, and both carriers have their eye on significant orders with Airbus and Boeing. Typically, both airlines favor Boeing aircraft more than those produced by Airbus - JAL flies 128 Boeing aircraft (42 737s, 27 767s, 13 777-300ERs, and 46 787s), while ANA tops that with 177 Boeing planes (39 737s, 24 767s, 30 777s and 80 787s).

As for Airbus aircraft, ANA operates 37 Airbus A320-family aircraft, including 22 A321neos. Additionally, it has three turtle-livered A380s in its fleet. Meanwhile, JAL flies 16 A350s and has a further 15 on order.

The Boeing 777 and 787 families play an important role at both airlines, with ANA being the first to commercially introduce the 787 Dreamliner back in 2011. It flies all three variants of the type, while Japan Airlines flies the short-fuselage 787-8 and the mid-size 787-9. Interestingly, JAL's Dreamliners have just eight seats per row (in a 2-4-2 layout) compared to the industry standard of nine (3-3-3).

Read more: Flying in business class between Manila and San Francisco via Tokyo

Inflight service

By all accounts, both airlines offer fantastic inflight service. Before the pandemic, an Airline Satisfaction Survey conducted by AB-Road Research Center of Japan awarded second place to All Nippon Airways and third to Japan Airlines.

A Japan Airlines Boeing 777 about to land, as an ANA Boeing 737 waits on the taxiway.
Photo: KITTIKUN YOKSAP | Shutterstock

The latest SKYTRAX ratings have ANA as the world's third-best airline, up from 4th in 2021, while Japan Airlines went up one spot to take 5th place. The two Japanese airlines are among illustrious companies, joined by No.1 Singapore Airlines, No.2 Qatar Airways, and No.4 Emirates.

Future fleet mix

As for what the future holds, Japan Airlines will begin welcoming its first Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in 2026 and could acquire the Airbus A321neo for its narrowbody operations, along with expanding the size of its 46-strong Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. It is also patiently waiting for its Airbus A350-1000 to arrive, which will likely happen soon.

A Render of a Japan Airlines A350-1000 flying in the sky.
Photo: Japan Airlines

ANA is also very likely to grow its existing Dreamliner fleet - the 787 launch customer hopes to operate over 100 Dreamliners by the end of this decade but has yet to confirm a deal. The airline will also increase the size of its A320neo-family narrowbodies within the following years, and is also a customer for the upcoming Boeing 777X.

Conclusion

It's clear that Japan has two excellent full-service carriers, both rivaling the best that any European or North American legacy carrier could offer. Ultimately, there is little to split between them, with ANA's extensive network and JAL's low-density configurations among the many pull factors offered by both airlines. With both airlines continuing to invest in new, efficient aircraft, it seems you actually can't make the wrong choice when deciding between ANA and JAL.

Which of these airlines have you flown with? If both, do you have a particular favorite? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

Sources: ch-aviation