JAPANESE AIRLINES RESUME SCENIC FLIGHTS

In an attempt to give passengers a taste of travel amid restrictions flying overseas, Japanese airlines are resuming scenic flights previously suspended due to the pandemic, according to a Mainichi Shimbun report.

All Nippon Airways Co. (ANA) has been using a super-large aircraft especially for Narita-Honolulu flights on scenic tours; a parent and child sea turtles are painted on its body. Meanwhile, Japan Airlines Co. (JAL) has launched a series of "feel overseas" scenic flights with themes including Singapore and the United States.

On April 11, an ANA A380 carrying 300 passengers took off from Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. The aircraft passed over Mount Fuji, the west Japan Shikoku region, and Kagoshima Prefecture before changing course to fly over Wakayama and Fukushima prefectures, and landing at Narita three hours and 20 minutes later.

Because the A380 is a dedicated aircraft for the Narita-Honolulu route, Hawaiian images and music were broadcast onboard, and in-flight meals from the Honolulu route menu served.

This scenic flight program began in August 2020; at one point, applications were 150 times capacity, and popularity remains high.

Hitomi Fukaya, 17, a high school student in Obu, Aichi Prefecture, said, "The sea turtle design is so cute, and I've always wanted to ride one. It's a comfortable journey with an atmosphere like a resort; it makes me feel like I'm visiting a foreign country."

To create memories, the pilots handed out stickers to the children at the boarding gate, and the flight attendants presented message cards to birthday children on board.

Kanami Okitsu, 28, a flight attendant on the scenic flight for the first time, said, "I felt the passengers were more excited than on a normal flight. I'm looking forward to the day when I can go to Honolulu with everyone."

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