JAL Fuel Surcharges HND-SYD flight in Feb 2024

[AliJ]

I have recently booked 2 Reward seats using QFF for HND-SYD for Feb 2024. (Flights are with JAL)
I fully understand that JAL charge high taxes/fuel levies but was a bit shocked to see the bill of 54780 Yen (almost $600 AUD) for each seat.

Does this seem correct or could it be an error?

I have called Qantas to query this amount but was told it is correct. When I search for other JAL flights I can see taxes around 31,000 Yen to 40,000 Yen but no higher.

Does anyone know how the taxes are calculated? It doesn't appear to be a transparent process to me!

 

[Hunter4vr]

The only comparison I have to give you is our flight from MEL - NRT with JAL in December. The fees came out to $118pp.

I guess it could be different on the way out of Japan? Would be good to know why there’s such a discrepancy in taxes.

 

[elanshin]

I have recently booked 2 Reward seats using QFF for HND-SYD for Feb 2024. (Flights are with JAL)
I fully understand that JAL charge high taxes/fuel levies but was a bit shocked to see the bill of 54780 Yen (almost $600 AUD) for each seat.

Does this seem correct or could it be an error?

Not an error but it is high. Japanese carriers out of Japan is high. However the reverse (SYD > HND) is much cheaper for taxes.

 

[pyffii]

We paid $397 in taxes for two travelling J on QF79 to NRT in July and $186 for SYD-HND-JFK on JL in J for August for one

 

[Himeno]

Japanese aviation fuel taxes are based on the 2 month average price of aviation fuel in Singapore. They will charge a given price from a chart for all tickets sold in the following 2 months after the calculation is made.
Tickets sold today, regardless of when the flight is, have fuel taxes based on the average fuel price in Singapore from June to July.

Ticket sold outside Japan https://www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/inter/fare/fuel/table_overseas.html#aud_2023
Ticket sold in Japan https://www.jal.co.jp/jp/en/inter/fare/fuel/table.html

 

[offshore171]

I have recently booked 2 Reward seats using QFF for HND-SYD for Feb 2024. (Flights are with JAL)
I fully understand that JAL charge high taxes/fuel levies but was a bit shocked to see the bill of 54780 Yen (almost $600 AUD) for each seat.

Is that for economy?

 

[veganftw]

I recently booked 2x J SIN-KIX on JAL with QFF points. Maybe not helpful as different directions and airports to your booking. Fees were ~$70 AUD each. But it seems from what others have said above, out of Japan is much higher in fees on JAL.

 

[AliJ]

Is that for economy?

Yes Economy!

 

[half-hour]

I've previously noticed that reward trips starting in Japan are a lot more expensive than starting in Australia.

 

[frodo]

Yes Economy!

I would suggest that you look for sale fares instead - JAL and ANA have both had regular sales recently with return economy fares during off peak times for under $1k return.

Or if starting from a country outside of Japan, put it on the 1 ticket (SYD-HND return on the one ticket should reduce the taxes a lot).

A few rewards bookings I have made recently:
Booked SYD-HND return on JAL back in May 2022 for AUD179 in taxes
SYD-HND one way for AUD98 in taxes in Dec 2022. I had to book the return leg separately and it would have cost 500 something dollars in taxes - it was cheaper to grab a reward ticket returning from another country instead even after adding in the extra one way flight to get there.

 

[HirafuHeartAttack]

I recently booked 2x J SIN-KIX on JAL with QFF points. Maybe not helpful as different directions and airports to your booking. Fees were ~$70 AUD each. But it seems from what others have said above, out of Japan is much higher in fees on JAL.

Wow! Just as a data point to this I paid 38700yen for 2 QFF J reward seats from Osaka-Tokyo-Singapore (on JAL) in Feb as well. Prices are certainly much higher out ex Japan!

 

[vmile]

Booked in October last year (flying next week) QF rewards
JAL SYD-HAN $99.02 fees per person
JAL HAN-LHR 61,550 yen ($643.94) per person

 

[ShelleyB]

Booked just recently with Qantas points for travel in Sep next year. All flights with CI in J
MEL-TPE-KIX -> fees ~$118 per person
NRT-TPE-BNE -> fees ~$320 per person

Booked first leg as soon as it became available as it's school holiday travel, with plan to add return leg via phone. Usual run around from Qantas operators (flights can't added, can't see flights etc..) and as did not want to miss J class availability for return (as seats for 3 people aren't so easy on award bookings) just booked separately. I am reasonably sure would have paid less in fees if had managed to add second leg to first leg rather than having a flight originating in Japan

 

[trendwhore]

Was looking at doing a switch today from a QF reward flight to JL one.. ~400 something fees NRT to MEL.. yikes.

 

[RichardMEL]

JL offered some pretty good revenue J fares out of the US when I needed tem - 60% or so of what QF or others wanted. That worked for my particular circumstances. As for the product and service -variable - but not terrible. I'm not surprised about the ex-JP surcharges though.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Yes Economy!

Seems expensive for one-way economy. I've booked business awards to Canada for roughly that amount return.

You might want to see if JétStar, Qantas' luxury arm or Qantas mainline has any classic award since it is my understanding that carrier surcharges aren't applied on such itineraries.

-RooFlyer88

 

[N0mad]

Something doesn't seem right, if I book 1 way from Tokyo to Sydney is 41,310 JPY ($431) but if it's part of a return ticket it's only $85.

is it possible to add a return leg to a 1 way reward flight to lower the return taxes?

 

[half-hour]

Something doesn't seem right, if I book 1 way from Tokyo to Sydney is 41,310 JPY ($431) but if it's part of a return ticket it's only $85.

is it possible to add a return leg to a 1 way reward flight to lower the return taxes?

As far as I understand, that's the issue that's been discussed on this thread - it's expensive booking a trip flying out of Japan.

You'd need to be starting your trip in Australia to make it cheaper, but presumably you're starting your trip in Japan hence why you're searching for flights starting there?

 

[N0mad]

As far as I understand, that's the issue that's been discussed on this thread - it's expensive booking a trip flying out of Japan.

You'd need to be starting your trip in Australia to make it cheaper, but presumably you're starting your trip in Japan hence why you're searching for flights starting there?

I've booked an award to japan already, looking for the return, hence my question can i somehow link the return leg to get the cheaper taxes?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Something doesn't seem right, if I book 1 way from Tokyo to Sydney is 41,310 JPY ($431) but if it's part of a return ticket it's only $85.

is it possible to add a return leg to a 1 way reward flight to lower the return taxes?

Equally important, could one do a fuel dump to avoid those taxes and fees? For instance, flying Haneda to Sydney then Sydney to Melbourne on a multi-city?

Post automatically merged: Oct 12, 2023

I've booked an award to japan already, looking for the return, hence my question can i somehow link the return leg to get the cheaper taxes?

You can, when you find the return leg call up Qantas to add the leg on. It will cost 5,000 points/passenger to do so but that should also result in a repricing of the taxes and fees