Passengers Outraged as ANA Limits Seat Selection Raising Fears of a New Air Travel Divide

Like an LCC? ANA’s New Fares

“Wait, I can’t even select a seat when flying ANA?” — Such confusion has been spreading.

Starting with flights on May 19, ANA will introduce a new fare system for domestic routes. The reality is strict: the lowest fares or sale fares do not allow advance seat selection, and the number of free checked bags drops from two to one.

Frequent flyers have criticized this as a de facto downgrade or just like an LCC, but in fact, this system is the global standard, already widely applied overseas for several years.

The harsh reality of a sky-class society that Japanese travelers, used to full-service flights, will soon face—travel journalist Aki Shikama examines the little-known reality of mileage programs and ANA’s strategy.

The Severe Reality of Lowest Fares Overseas

American Airlines, known as the first airline in the world to introduce a mileage program, has excluded mileage and loyalty points for low-fare passengers starting December 17, 2025. This fare, called Basic Economy, provides only minimal free services and has been adopted by many airlines in Europe and the U.S. in recent years.

The widely used Basic Economy overseas is cheaper than regular economy fares, but in return, advance seat selection and checked baggage are paid, mileage is minimal or not given, and boarding order is last.

On the other hand, in-flight meals, drinks, and other services are available just like other fares, and the rules for carry-on baggage are basically the same.

Charging for advance seat selection or one checked bag is often seen with LCCs. Moreover, if you try to buy the next higher fare, the price can jump significantly.

Even airline elite members may have mixed experiences: some airlines allow Basic Economy passengers to select seats or check one bag for free, while others provide no perks even to top-tier members. Currently, policies vary by airline.

What’s the difference between the three new fares?

Simple: Non-changeable reservation / Refunds incur a fee / One free checked bag (23 kg) / No advance seat selection (available 24 hours before departure) / No upgrades, etc. Since the fare is low, services are limited to the minimum.

Standard: Reservation changes allowed for a fee / Refunds incur a fee / Two free checked bags (23 kg) / Free advance seat selection / Upgrades allowed, etc. You can think of this fare as providing the same services as before.

Flex: Can be purchased up to the day of departure / Free reservation changes / Refunds incur a fee (cancellation fee of 500 yen from purchase until departure time) / Two free checked bags (23 kg) / Free advance seat selection / Upgrades allowed, etc.—this is a full-service fare.

Other fares include Sale, ANA Card Discount, Biz, Shareholder Discount, Island Resident Discount, as well as Youth(ages 12–25) and Senior (65+) fares limited to ANA Mileage Club and ANA Card members.

Note: The Caregiver Discount will end with flights on May 18, 2026, so be careful.

How much does it actually cost? Comparing New vs Old Fares

With the new fare style, how much will prices change? Here’s a comparison of the cheapest fares for Tokyo (Haneda) → Sapporo (New Chitose) (one-way, Economy Class / as of March 5, 2026).

May 18, 2026
Super Value: 11,460 yen
Value: 33,930 yen
Shareholder Discount: 24,580 yen
Business Ticket: 39,870 yen
Flex: 48,340 yen

May 19, 2026
Sale: 11,490 yen (sold only during the sale period)
Simple: 12,370 yen
Standard: 15,780 yen
Shareholder Discount: 24,580 yen
ANA Card Discount: 39,870 yen
Flex: 48,340 yen

Comparing Simple and Standard, most routes see a difference of around 1,000–2,000 yen. For round trips or family travel, this difference is not insignificant. Families or groups wanting advance seat selection will feel this change sharply.

On the other hand, Shareholder Discount, Business Ticket / ANA Card Discount, and Flex show little difference in price before and after May 19. It seems these fares remain unchanged from the old prices.

Important! Cancellation Fees Also Changed

Under the new fares, for example, even Diamond Service members of the ANA Mileage Club cannot select seats in advance if they purchase an Economy Class Simple ticket.

Even stricter are the changes to the cancellation rules. Previously, the cheapest fare, Super Value, allowed refunds with only a fee up to 55 days before departure, but going forward, even for flights far in advance, a cancellation fee will apply immediately after ticket issuance.

For Standard, the cancellation fees are: about 10% of the fare if canceled up to 45 days before departure, about 20% up to 28 days before departure, about 30% from 27 days before departure until the day of departure, and 100% after departure. In addition, a refund fee of 440 yen per ticket (per segment) will be required. Previously, with Value, only about 5% of the fare was charged from purchase until departure.

Direct questions to ANA! The intent behind the new rules

When the FRIDAY Digital editorial team sent a questionnaire to ANA, the following response was received:

The reason for introducing the new fares is a renewal of domestic fares accompanying the integration of passenger service systems for domestic and international flights, and the fare system has been revised to better meet the increasingly diverse needs, making it easier for not only domestic but also international customers to use.

This is not simply an alignment with overseas widespread Basic Economy; rather, it is a strengthening of the fare lineup to respond to a wide range of customer needs.

Regarding the new baggage rules, ANA stated, “In the newly renewed fare lineup, no fares have a free baggage allowance of zero. Even under the ‘Simple’ fare, you can check in one piece of baggage up to 23 kg, which is more than the current 20 kg allowance.”

As for the lack of priority for seat selection even for Diamond members, ANA responded, “For customers using ‘Flex’ or ‘Standard,’ we continue to provide areas where seat selection is available.”

No miles? The advancing air gap

In Europe, where short-haul flights can cost just a few thousand yen one-way due to the rise of LCCs, Basic Economywas introduced by FSCs (full-service carriers) to survive. However, because European airlines—which were not particularly known for service quality—introduced even stricter fare rules, the reputation of Basic Economy has not been favorable.

In the U.S., there are even more advanced developments.

United Airlines offers a 10% discount on tickets booked with miles for members holding MileagePlus credit or debit cards, and increases it to 15% for “Premier” members with partner cards. However, from April this year, for Basic Economy, even MileagePlus members must hold a partner card to book.

Delta Airlines’ Basic Economy fares generally do not allow the accumulation of miles or credits required for elite status. American Airlines has followed this same approach.

In Japan, many people still think, “Major airlines provide better service than LCCs, and seat selection and baggage are free.”

However, overseas, there are stricter rules: elite members may not receive preferential treatment, and even mileage members may be required to hold partner cards.

It remains to be seen whether ANA’s new domestic fares will become established in Japan, and whether other airlines will follow suit.