ANA Group, SWISS team up, Air Hokkaido to close

ANA Group, SWISS team up, Air Hokkaido to close    Japan’s ANA Group and Swiss International Air Lines will start a strategic alliance as of April 1.
   The agreement will initially link the two airlines’ Frequent Flyer Programs but will also explore other areas of cooperation, including code-sharing on flights between Japan and Switzerland, and beyond.
   “This will really help to strengthen our competitive base not only on point to point services between Japan and Switzerland, but also in Europe as a whole,” said Mineo Yamamoto, ANA’s president and chief executive officer.
   In a separate development, All Nippon Airways said it will dissolve its regional airline Air Hokkaido in July. Air Hokkaido’s two daily return flights between Hakodate and Okushiri in Hokkaido, northern Japan, will end March 31.