FALLING aviation fuel prices have prompted Japan’s two main airlines to revise their fuel surcharges, a move that could boost inbound traffic at a time when outbound travel is cooling due to the weaker yen.
From February 1, All Nippon Airways (ANA) will cut its surcharge per seat on flights to Thailand, Singapore and Myanmar from 10,500 yen (US$89) to 6,550 yen, and the surcharge on flights to Vietnam, the Philippines, Guam and Saipan from 6,500 yen to 4,000 yen.
Similar reductions will be available on flights to Japan from across Asia.
“We hedge fuel prices so we have already bought 70-80 per cent of our fuel for this fiscal year,” Maho Ito, spokeswoman for ANA, told TTG Asia e-Daily.
The airline revises its fuel surcharge every two months, she said, with the next examination of fuel costs to be carried out in mid-February and affecting tickets available from early April.
Japan Airlines (JAL) similarly trimmed surcharges thanks to a drop in the two-month average price of a barrel of Singapore kerosene-type jet fuel.
Charges for travel from Japan to China, Hong Kong and Taiwan tumbled from 5,500 yen to 3,500 yen, and are down from 13,500 yen to 8,500 yen for Hawaii, India and Indonesia.
According to analysts, if the price of a barrel of oil falls below US$60, airlines will be able to scrap surcharges entirely.
Lower ticket prices may appeal to foreigners considering a vacation in Japan as domestic travellers opt to stay home, primarily due to the weakness of the yen.
Over the New Year holidays, traditionally a time when many Japanese opt for a few days in the sun, less then 70,000 flew abroad, a year-on-year decline of 17.8 per cent.
