ANA and JAL’s Time Sale Happens Every Month and It’s Perfect for Domestic Travel

Tokyo-Sapporo and Osaka are 6,600 yen! Is this also the reason for the shareholder special benefit ticket crash?

ANA and JAL’s domestic flight “Time Sales” are becoming more established. In JAL’s Time Sale held this February, fares started at 6,600 yen for routes such as Tokyo (Haneda) – Sapporo (Chitose) and Osaka (Itami), and 7,700 yen for Tokyo (Haneda) – Fukuoka and Okinawa (Naha). Considering baggage fees and payment charges, these fares can be even cheaper than LCCs (low-cost carriers). ANA offers almost the same price range.

Meanwhile, the value of “shareholder discount tickets,” which have long been a standard way to get cheap airfares, has plummeted in ticket shops. For shareholder discount tickets expiring at the end of May this year, both the buyback price and selling price have dropped to just a few hundred yen per ticket. The main advantage of these tickets was that they allowed passengers to buy tickets at half the regular fare even on the day of departure. However, due to a decrease in the number of available seats for reservations and the frequent Time Sales reducing their appeal, their value has significantly declined.

During these Time Sales, the reservation screens often become difficult to access right after the sale starts. There are also several points to be cautious about.

However, there are some differences when analyzing the implementation period of last year and the year before

ANA and JAL time sales started in earnest in 2011. The main sales periods and boarding periods for the year before last, last year, and this year are as follows.

[ANA]
◇ 2025: January (for flights from March to May), February (March-end to June)
◇ 2024: February (April to June), March (May to July), April (June to August), May (July to September), June (August to October), July (September to November), August (October to January), September (November to February), October (December to February), November (① January to March ② January to February), December (February to April)
◇ 2023: April (June), August (October), October (December), December (February to March)

[JAL]
◇ 2025: January (February to March), February (April to May)
◇ 2024: February (① March ② April to May), April (May to June), May (July to September), June (October), July (August to September), August (October), September (October to November), October (December to early January), November (① Late December to January ② January to February)
◇ 2023: March (April), April (May), May (June), July (September), August (October), September (November), October (December), November (① January ② February)

 

The number of Time Sales was relatively low for both airlines the year before last, but since last year, they have been held almost monthly. The reason there were two sales in November is that one was timed to coincide with “Black Friday” at the end of the month.

JAL’s Time Sales typically have a sales period of two days, with travel periods divided by month. In contrast, ANA offers a longer sales period of about five days and a broader travel period compared to JAL.

The first of these Time Sales was the “JAL Smile Campaign,” which began on March 9, 2023, at midnight. The shockwave of the “All Domestic Routes One-Way for 6,600 Yen” deal was immense, causing JAL’s official website server to crash right after sales began. After rebuilding its system, JAL resumed sales on March 31.

Since then, JAL has introduced a virtual waiting room system, where customers are temporarily placed in an online queue before being guided in order. Thanks to this system, major issues have been avoided since.

Sale implementation schedule and buying timing?

The timing of Time Sales is irregular, but by analyzing the periods in which they have been held so far, a rough estimate can be made.

Looking at the most recent February sale, JAL offered tickets through May. It is expected that tickets for June will be available in March. On the other hand, since ANA has a longer sales period than JAL, even if you miss out, there will still be a chance to purchase tickets in the next sale. In any case, it is crucial to stay updated through newsletters and social media to avoid missing sale announcements.

The best time to buy depends on whether your travel date is fixed. If you have a specific date you must travel, booking immediately after the sale starts is recommended. Flights at convenient times on weekends and holidays are highly competitive, so it is essential to be prepared to navigate the virtual waiting room as soon as sales begin.

On the other hand, if your travel schedule is flexible—such as traveling on a weekday—it is likely that seats will still be available without rushing. By checking seat availability and planning your trip accordingly, it is no exaggeration to say that you can travel domestically at the most reasonable price.

One important thing to remember is the purchase deadline for sale fares. In ANA’s case, even though the sales period is longer, the payment deadline is the same day as the reservation, so caution is needed.

Conversely, some people make reservations but do not complete their purchases. Therefore, even if the flight you aimed for is fully booked right after sales begin, checking again after midnight the next day may reveal that fully booked has changed to seats available.

Recommended Routes” to Aim for at the Time Sale

Recommended routes to aim for at the time sale

The target routes for time sales are those with only ANA or JAL flights, meaning airports that are not serviced by other carriers like LCCs, or in other words, monopoly routes. Since there is no competition and no land routes like the shinkansen, fares tend to stay high unless you book well in advance.

For example, the Tokyo (Haneda) – Misawa route, which is only served by JAL Group flights, was available for 6,970 yen in the latest time sale (including the domestic passenger service charge at Haneda Airport), while the lowest regular fare on the same day was 15,770 yen one way. For a round trip, the fare difference would be more than double. Other routes from Haneda that are good targets include Yamagata, Nanki-Shirahama, Amami Oshima, the Amami Islands in Kagoshima, the southwestern islands of Okinawa, Osaka (Itami) – Oki Islands, and Sapporo (Okadama) – Rishiri.

Additionally, the Tokyo (Haneda) – Wakkanai route, which is only served by ANA Group flights, was available for 10,670 yen one way in the time sale, while the lowest regular fare was 20,170 yen, showing a significant difference of about 20,000 yen for a round trip. Other good target routes for ANA from Haneda include Monbetsu, Nakashibetsu, Odate-Noshiro, Shonai, Toyama, Hachijojima, Tottori, Yonago, Hagi-Iwami, Iwakuni, and Saga.

The major routes from Tokyo (Haneda) – Osaka (Itami), Fukuoka, and Sapporo (Chitose) are also worth considering. Since there are many flights per day, avoiding peak weekday morning flights, evening to night flights often used for business, and weekend morning or evening flights, which are popular for leisure or homecoming, increases the chance of finding a deal.

The prices of the tickets mentioned in the article were researched in mid-February, for flights departing on April 1st.

Cancellation”, “Ineligible”, “Miles”, and “Hotels” to be careful about

The most important thing to be cautious about with time sales is the cancellation policy. If you cancel after purchase, ANA will charge only a refund fee (440 yen) if done more than 55 days before departure, while JAL will charge about 5% of the base fare (excluding tax). After that, ANA’s cancellation fee will increase progressively, but JAL will charge almost half of the fare if canceled less than 54 days before departure. In other words, you will only get back about half of the paid amount.

Changing flights is, of course, not allowed. Time sale tickets, which are often very cheap, may tempt you to purchase multiple tickets, but if you end up needing to cancel as the departure date approaches, the cancellation fee can be painful. If your schedule is uncertain, there is a possibility of changes, or you are hesitant about the cancellation fee, it is not recommended to purchase easily.

Additionally, what was originally all domestic routes for 6,600 yen has now changed. Routes and time slots that are in high demand are excluded, and you may notice routes over 10,000 yen during the time sale. Peak travel periods like long holidays or New Year’s may also be excluded from the sale.

For ANA, the mileage accumulation rate for tickets bought through time sales is “50%,” while for Super Value fares, it’s “75%.” JAL follows the same pattern. If you are a frequent flyer or aiming to earn or maintain status for the following year, it is more cost-effective to go with the latter option rather than the time sale tickets.

Even if the airfare is cheap, if accommodation at the destination is expensive, the overall trip can become costly. Recently, due to an increase in foreign travelers, hotel prices across Japan have risen. Be especially cautious during long weekends, like the Lunar New Year. Before the time sale begins, it’s a good idea to check local accommodation prices in advance.

While time sales are effective for people who travel frequently by plane, they also present an opportunity for those who have never had the chance to visit certain places. If the one-way fare is around 7,000 yen, it can be an opportunity for domestic travel. By keeping the above points in mind, you can make good use of these sales.