Return of some flights delayed

Thursday, Jan. 17, 2002 | 10:55 a.m.

Japan Airlines, which said in December it would reinstate five nonstop flights between Tokyo and Las Vegas in March, announced today that routes would restored gradually.

An airline spokeswoman today said JAL would return two flights March 1, a third flight April 1 and two more July 15. The airline's return flights to Tokyo will be one-stop flights through Los Angeles International Airport. One of the two flights to be reinstated July 15 will have its return routed through San Francisco.

The Tokyo-based airline announced the delay in conjunction with the juggling of its flight schedule within Asia. JAL said it planned to restore the five weekly flights to Las Vegas that were suspended in October following a dramatic drop in demand following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

A JAL spokesman said today that the airline is adding flights to destinations in China and the rest of Asia to make up for a drop in demand on flights to the United States.

About 511,000 Japanese tourists visited Las Vegas in 2000 and the city was on its way toward attracting a record number of visitors in 2001 when the attacks occurred.