Fuel surcharge hike coming on April 1 2010

Thanks to the raising fuel price, Japan Airlines will once again raise its fuel surcharge for passengers starting April 1 2010.

The average Singapore kerosene-type jet fuel between November 2009 and January 2010 was USD 84.66 per barrel, compared to USD 78.04 per barrel in the previous period. As a result, JAL will be using Zone C on its fuel surcharge table. So for a transpacific roundtrip ticket to Japan, instead of paying for USD 138 for fuel surcharge, you will have to pay for USD 222 from April 1!

So if you have any award ticket redemptions or ticket purchases for flights after April 1, do it now! As long as your ticket is issued before April 1 at your local time, you will be charged the current lower surcharge. However, if you make changes to your reservations after April 1, JAL may charge you for the different in surcharge depending on the local law and regulations. But don't wait for the last minute as JAL often put up an notice on their website saying they expect high volume of award redemption and ticket purchase on the last few days before the raise...

Source: JAL Press Release