JAL Rule Changes Lead to Increased Difficulty in Securing Reward Flight Tickets

The “training” boom in miles is fading, popularity is concentrating on ANA, which continues its rules.

As of January 2024, JAL’s mile “training” program has effectively ended. As a result, popularity has shifted to ANA, which continues its rules, leading to difficulties in booking reward flights and causing dissatisfaction among former users.

This “training” refers not strictly to gradually accumulating miles but rather to excessively flying to earn points for status upgrades, thereby building annual flight records to qualify for elite membership status. Specifically, with ANA, one can join the “Super Flyers Card (SFC),” while JAL offers the “JAL Global Club (JGC),” both providing significant benefits such as priority check-in, priority boarding, and access to airline lounges at airports.

To qualify for SFC or JGC membership, an annual flight record of about 50 flights has been required in the past. However, once this threshold is reached, individuals can maintain their membership benefits indefinitely by continuing to pay the annual fee for the card. Consequently, there are many who only go through the training once and then maintain their status indefinitely.

50 Flights to 300!? JAL’s New Rule Changes for “JGC Membership Requirements” Starting This Year

JAL has changed the rules for JGC membership requirements. They discontinued the previous criteria, which were based solely on annual flight records, and introduced the new JAL Life Status Program. According to this new program, membership qualification is now determined by the total number of Life Status (LS) points, which can be accumulated not only through flight records but also by using JAL-related services such as the JAL Card and JAL Mall.

The new requirement for JGC membership is 1,500 points. Since each domestic flight with the JAL Group equals 5 points, this means that, if relying solely on flight records, you would need to take 300 flights. Previously, members could qualify with 50 flights, but with the new rules, it would take six years at the same pace, and naturally, the cost has increased, making the bar significantly higher.

In fact, since the beginning of this year, the term “JGC pilgrimage” (referring to people trying to meet JGC criteria) has rarely been heard. The only people still striving are those aiming for Diamond or JGC Premier status under the FLY ON Program, where status is determined by annual performance and requires continuous effort each year. As a result, the number of people participating in this effort has become significantly lower compared to the former “JGC pilgrimage.”

 

ANA is currently facing issues such as “difficulty in booking award tickets” and “problems with getting through on the phone.”

On the other hand, ANA has maintained its membership rules for the Super Flyer Card (SFC), leading many people looking to earn elite status with airlines to concentrate on ANA this year.

Recently, there have been frequent complaints about the difficulty of booking award tickets with ANA. This issue is particularly pronounced during peak travel times, such as the year-end holidays and large national holidays, leading to fierce competition for reservations.

As members accumulate flight records through SFC training, they also earn ANA miles. Moreover, there is a limit on the redemption of miles accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic (ANA miles expire after three years). With the inability to travel internationally during the pandemic, there has been a surge in popularity for long-haul international flights to Europe and the U.S., particularly in premium classes such as business class. Additionally, due to high demand for international flights, ticket prices have remained elevated, with business class fares for round trips to Europe and the U.S. sometimes reaching around 1 million yen.

Furthermore, the increase in elite members has led to chronic overcrowding in ANA lounges, and sometimes the priority lanes at security checkpoints are slower than the general lanes, causing long lines for priority boarding as well.

As someone who holds both SFC and JGC memberships and uses both airlines, I have consistently found that the ANA lounges are more crowded. It’s also well-known among frequent users that when trying to change reservations via phone with ANA, it has become increasingly difficult to get through.

“Wait! Is this how many miles are needed?” JAL’s award tickets are difficult to obtain due to circumstances that differ from ANA’s.

JAL’s award tickets are generally easier to book than ANA’s. However, the new system has received significant criticism.

For JAL, domestic flights can be exchanged for award tickets starting at 4,000 miles, while international flights begin at 7,500 miles. They have introduced “Award Ticket PLUS,” which allows booking with additional miles if the lowest mileage seats are unavailable. This system essentially functions as dynamic pricing.

For domestic flights in standard seats, a one-way ticket from Tokyo to Osaka requires 6,000 base miles, and using PLUS can increase that to a maximum of 23,500 miles. For international flights in economy class, a ticket from Tokyo to Seoul requires 7,500 base miles, with PLUS maxing out at 60,000 miles. For a flight from Tokyo to New York, it starts at 70,000 miles and can go up to 224,000 miles, and again, this is for a one-way ticket.

In reality, while it may be possible to book at the minimum mileage during off-peak seasons with many available seats, it’s nearly impossible during peak times, requiring a significantly higher number of miles. Thus, it can happen that “traveling to Seoul requires nearly the same number of miles as traveling to New York,” even though the distances and ticket prices are vastly different.

Despite JAL’s award tickets being easier to book compared to ANA’s, many would hesitate to spend 60,000 miles for a one-way trip from Tokyo to Seoul. To put it into perspective, JAL e-points, which can be exchanged for miles and used to purchase tickets, equate to 10,000 miles = 15,000 points (or 15,000 yen), meaning that 60,000 miles would be equivalent to around 90,000 yen for a one-way ticket.

The deterioration of miles programs is also occurring in the United States, prompting the government to investigate airlines.

Airlines around the world, not just in Japan, operate mileage programs, each offering various services. Award tickets, which allow accumulated miles to be exchanged for flights, are widely recognized. However, it is not uncommon for the number of miles required for these tickets to increase over time, a phenomenon often referred to as “devaluation.”

In early September of this year, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating major U.S. airlines regarding their mileage programs. The airlines under scrutiny include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. According to the article, the investigation stems from complaints from mileage program members about increases in the number of miles (points) required for award tickets and restrictions on the number of seats available for purchase with miles (points).

There is a noticeable shift toward emphasizing the “monetary value” of non-airline activities, such as shopping, over flight records in determining membership status and benefits.

In the pursuit of airline status, adding non-flight activities as qualifying factors is something ANA has already implemented. ANA includes various “life solution services,” such as transactions at ANA-affiliated stores, online shopping, hometown tax contributions, and insurance payments, as well as purchases made with the ANA Card and ANA Pay. This allows members to achieve status even with fewer annual flight records by combining these different activities.

Delta Air Lines is also changing its rules starting in 2024. Instead of relying solely on the actual distance flown, Delta will grant status based on the “monetary value” of purchases made not only for airline tickets but also through car rentals and hotel bookings from Delta’s official site, as well as transactions made using Delta’s affiliated credit cards.

“Making several round trips every weekend.” Is there any benefit to training for the Japanese JGC/SFC system?

Training by excessively flying on airplanes is generally hard for most people to understand. For example, making multiple round trips between Haneda and Sapporo or Naha in one day, or flying around the Amami Islands in Kagoshima to rack up flight numbers during JGC training until last year, was referred to as “island-hopping training.” The Itami to Tajima route is famous for JGC training; as the end of the year approaches—the limit for annual flight records, flights that operate two round trips a day, especially on weekends, often see most passengers exiting at Tajima and heading straight to the security checkpoint.

So, is there any benefit to obtaining JGC or SFC? For those who fly regularly, the answer is definitely “yes.” Specifically, having a higher priority for standby seats in case of sudden cancellations and being able to quickly retrieve checked luggage on nearly full flights makes a significant difference. In the lounges of JAL and ANA, passengers can enjoy unlimited free drinks, including beer and other alcoholic beverages.

“Establishment of exclusive lounges”: Foreign airlines are moving towards differentiation. What will happen to Japanese airlines?

Recently, foreign airlines have begun to differentiate their airport lounge offerings. For example, Singapore Airlines has separate lounges: the “KrisFlyer Gold Lounge” for Star Alliance Gold members flying in Economy Class, including SFC members, and the “SilverKris Lounge” for Business Class passengers. The SilverKris Lounge, which features amenities like a noodle bar and enhanced dining options, is generally considered superior.

Qatar Airways limits access to its lounge at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport to those flying in Business Class or higher, and different lounges are available based on travel class at its hub, Hamad International Airport. While ANA has not changed its lounge access conditions, it has made pre-selected seats with extra legroom free only for those with “Diamond” and “Platinum” status, charging others, including SFC members, a fee.

In general, upper-class services can be enjoyed without specific status if travelers fly JAL’s First Class or ANA’s Premium Class domestically, or Business Class or higher internationally.

Moreover, regularly flying upper-class allows travelers to earn more miles and flight credits than if they were flying in standard Economy Class. Many business travelers who frequently use upper-class services find themselves becoming elite members without needing to undergo training.

In contrast, membership programs like JGC and SFC do not exist abroad, where maintaining status requires accumulating flight records each year. This aligns more with the original concept of a mileage membership system. By raising the entry requirements for JGC, JAL has put a stop to the recent training boom. It remains to be seen how ANA will respond and what their future actions will be.