All Nippon set to try Nagoya-Vegas flights

Monday, June 8, 1998 | 10:05 a.m.

TOKYO -- All Nippon Airways, Japan's top domestic air carrier, is planning two charter flights between Nagoya and Las Vegas this summer in a move that could be the first step toward offering regularly scheduled service between the two cities.

Ryogo Inoue, senior executive vice president for Tokyo-based All Nippon, announced the charters today during a meeting with Gov. Bob Miller, who is leading a delegation of 10 Nevadans to Japan and Taiwan on a mission to secure more nonstop air service between Asia and Southern Nevada.

Miller reciprocated with an announcement of special marketing funds to publicize the route.

Inoue, speaking through an interpreter, said that regularly scheduled nonstop flights between Tokyo's Narita International Airport and McCarran aren't in the airline's immediate plans.

Still, the prospect of developing service between Nagoya and Las Vegas clearly pleased members of Miller's delegation. Charter flights preceded Condor Airlines' service between Bonn, Germany, and Las Vegas, and Japan Airlines, the nation's top international carrier, operated two charters to McCarran last year. JAL is expected to announce regularly scheduled service between Tokyo and Las Vegas when Miller meets with airline executives on Tuesday.

Nagoya, Japan's third-largest market, sits between Tokyo and Osaka, the nation's two largest cities, and its airport serves people living in suburbs of both. It's the center of Japan's thriving auto manufacturing industry.

Shortly after the meeting at a conference room at All Nippon's Tokyo headquarters, the Nevadans played host to the executives in a hotel reception. There, Miller announced that All Nippon customers would get free use of an airline club facility at McCarran's new D concourse when it opens. McCarran also pledged $250,000 in marketing support to generate interest in Japanese flights to Las Vegas.

"We come from a city of excitement, but your announcement today was very exciting to us," Miller told guests at the reception.

All Nippon, which has a business alliance with United Airlines, had been considering initiating nonstop service from Japan in its efforts to compete with JAL. United and All Nippon are somewhat hampered in their efforts to compete with JAL and Northwest Airlines because they have fewer landing slots at Narita Airport.

The All Nippon charters could be an experiment to test Japanese tourists' willingness to fly from Nagoya, where All Nippon has more flexibility on departures. When JAL flew its charters last year, they were deemed a big success. Miller took the time to officially meet the first JAL charter when it arrived.

Miller said he has not discussed JAL and All Nippon prospects, but he feels the impending JAL announcement will make the length of the negotiations worthwhile.

"We've been working on getting nonstop flights to Las Vegas for years," Miller said. "We knew that it would take a long time to get something definite. We were told that we could expedite the announcement by paying a personal visit. That's why I'm making the effort to be here."