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

“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.