Japan Airlines (JAL) said Thursday it has signed a comprehensive code share agreement with China Eastern Airlines, effective on Sept.1.

"The code share agreement will provide both carriers with greatly enhanced schedule variation that will be of substantial benefit to their customers," JAL and China Eastern said in a jointstatement.

Among benefits to be created by the agreement, travelers to Shanghai from New Tokyo International Airport at Narita, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, will have a choice of three departures a day -- a morning flight with JAL, a lunch-time flight with ChinaEastern and an evening flight with JAL.

The code share on the route between Kansai International Airport on Osaka Bay and Qingdao will provide a convenient expansion of JAL's China network, the two carriers said.

Aside from the passenger code share agreement, JAL and China Eastern have since April been operating four freighter flights perweek. China Eastern is one of China's six airlines.

( People's Daily July 19, 2002 )