Japan Airlines said Thursday it will temporarily slash its weekly flights to the U.S. by 34 due to drastically reduced passenger bookings in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

This measure will be in place throughout October and November, the airline said.

Following the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, in which hijacked airliners smashed into the buildings, the average seat-occupancy ratio for U.S.-bound JAL planes skidded from 75 percent down to about 50 percent, the company said.

JAL has thus far canceled 40 flights on a case-by-case basis since the attacks, but has decided to stiffen its strategy as passenger demand is unlikely to return to normal quickly, it said.

JAL said it would cut the number of Honolulu-bound flights to 14 a week from the current 24, and that Tokyo-Los Angeles flights would drop to seven a week from the current eight. Flights to Honolulu from Kansai airport in Osaka Prefecture will be cut to seven a week from the current 14.

In addition, three weekly Nagoya-Los Angeles flights and four weekly Kansai airport-Chicago flights will be completely grounded during the period, it said.

JAL added, however, that it will increase its flights from Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City to four a week from the current two, while upping the number of Tokyo-Seoul flights to 14 a week from nine.