Don't buy your plane tickets now! Fuel surcharges to be drastically reduced from September - a thorough comparison of the reduction amounts by airline.
Those planning to book international flights might want to wait a bit.
ANA and JAL have announced significant reductions in fuel surcharges for tickets issued between September 1st and October 31st, 2026.
This reduction can amount to tens of thousands of yen round trip, especially on long-haul routes to Europe and North America.
Reductions are also planned for shorter routes such as Taiwan, so if you're planning to buy tickets in August, you might want to check if you can wait until September.
This article summarizes how much cheaper fuel surcharges will be for each airline from September 2026.
First, the conclusion:
JAL's reduction is particularly significant.
JAL will reduce fuel surcharges from 65,000 yen to 50,000 yen one way for tickets issued between September 1st and October 31st, 2026, on routes to Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Oceania.
That's a reduction of 15,000 yen one way!
A round trip would be ¥30,000 cheaper.
ANA is also lowering fares on the same long-haul routes, from ¥65,000 to ¥55,000 one way.
This represents a ¥10,000 reduction one way, or ¥20,000 round trip. (Panda Travel)
In other words, for those considering long-haul international travel, it's definitely worth considering booking tickets from September onwards.
List of price reductions by airline
JAL
JAL has made a significant price reduction this time.
The following is a comparison of tickets issued from July to August 2026 and tickets issued from September to October.
Route | July-August | September-October | Price Reduction
Europe, North America, Middle East, Oceania | ¥65,000 | ¥50,000 | ¥15,000
Hawaii, India, Indonesia | ¥40,400 | ¥30,900 | ¥9,500
Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. | ¥35,000 | ¥26,000 | ¥9,000
Vietnam, Guam, Philippines, etc. | ¥22,500 | ¥17,500 | ¥5,000
East Asia | ¥16,900 | ¥12,400 | ¥4,500
South Korea | ¥7,400 | ¥5,900 | ¥1,500
All prices are for one-way trips departing from Japan, per adult.
For East Asia, including Taiwan, the price reduction is ¥4,500 one-way.
This represents a ¥9,000 difference for round trips, a significant amount that cannot be ignored even for those considering a trip to Taiwan. (Travel Watch)
ANA
ANA will also lower fares for tickets issued from September to October.
Route | July-August | September-October | Price Reduction
Europe, North America, Middle East, Oceania, etc. | ¥65,000 | ¥55,000 | ¥10,000
Hawaii, India, Indonesia | ¥40,400 | ¥35,800 | ¥4,600
Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. | ¥33,500 | ¥27,300 | ¥6,200
Vietnam, Guam, Philippines, etc. | ¥22,500 | ¥19,300 | ¥3,200
East Asia | ¥15,400 | ¥14,300 | ¥1,100
South Korea | ¥7,400 | ¥6,500 | ¥900
These are one-way fares per person, departing from Japan.
In the case of ANA, the price reduction for East Asia is ¥1,100 one-way.
While not as significant a price reduction as JAL's, round-trip fares are ¥2,200 cheaper. (Pipinobu's ANA Miles Travel Blog)
Especially noteworthy for Taiwan trips
Many readers of this article are probably wondering:
"Will Taiwan airfares also be cheaper?"
In conclusion, both JAL and ANA are lowering fares for East Asian destinations, including Taiwan.
JAL's one-way fares will drop from ¥16,900 to ¥12,400, a ¥4,500 reduction.
That's a ¥9,000 difference for round trips.
ANA's one-way fares will drop from ¥15,400 to ¥14,300, an ¥1,100 reduction.
That's a ¥2,200 reduction for round trips.
For a Taiwan trip, even a few thousand yen less on airfare alone can amount to money saved on meals and transportation.
The difference will be especially significant for larger groups, such as family trips.
For example, if four adults fly round-trip to Taiwan on JAL, the fuel surcharge alone can make a difference of up to 36,000 yen.
That's quite significant.
Why is it getting cheaper from September?
Fuel surcharges aren't arbitrarily determined by airlines.
They are reviewed periodically based on factors such as aviation fuel prices and exchange rates.
For tickets issued from September to October, the Singapore kerosene market price and exchange rate for June-July 2026 were used as the basis.
According to JAL, the Singapore kerosene price during this period was $132.50 per barrel, and the exchange rate was 161.63 yen to the dollar.
Furthermore, emergency government support for aviation fuel is also reflected, resulting in a lower rate than the usual calculation. (JAL corporate website)
In other words, this price reduction isn't simply a sudden price drop by airlines.
It's the result of a combination of fuel price movements and government support.
This is important! It's the ticketing date, not the departure date.
This is the most important point to remember.
Fuel surcharges are basically determined by when the ticket is issued, not when you fly.
In other words:
Purchasing on August 31st
↓
A higher surcharge will apply.
Purchasing on September 1st
↓
A lower surcharge will apply.
This is a possibility.
JAL's new rates apply to tickets issued between September 1st and October 31st. ANA will also apply the new rates to tickets purchased between September 1st and October 31st. (JAL corporate website)
Therefore, whether your travel date is in October or December, when you issue your ticket is important.
However, it's not always the case that you "absolutely should wait until September."
This is something to be careful about.
Just because fuel surcharges are decreasing doesn't mean that waiting until September for all tickets will be more advantageous.
The base fare of an air ticket fluctuates separately from the fuel surcharge.
For example, if an airfare that cost 50,000 yen in August jumps to 70,000 yen in September, even with a 5,000 yen reduction in surcharges, the final price will still be higher.
Especially during long weekends, the New Year holidays, and popular seasons in Taiwan, airfares can increase as seats fill up.
Therefore,
Instead of thinking, "I'll definitely wait because the surcharges will go down,"
it's important to "consider the total cost, including both the airfare and surcharges."
Even so, long-haul routes are often worth waiting for.
This time, we want to focus on routes to Europe and North America.
JAL offers a 15,000 yen reduction for one-way tickets.
That's 30,000 yen for round-trip tickets.
ANA offers a 10,000 yen reduction for one-way tickets.
That's 20,000 yen for round-trip tickets.
With such a difference, it's worth considering if you can wait a few days until September.
On the other hand, the price reductions for short-haul routes like Taiwan and South Korea are relatively small.
For Taiwan travel, you should consider the possibility that the base airfare might increase. What will happen after November?
This is another point of concern.
Fuel surcharges will change depending on future fuel prices and exchange rates.
Therefore, it is impossible to say at this point whether they will become even cheaper after November or rise again.
Recent fuel prices remain high, and some predict that prices will rise after November. (Tabiris)
In other words,
"Since it fell in September, it should be even cheaper in November."
It's a little risky to keep waiting with this in mind.
It might be safer to consider this price reduction for tickets issued from September to October as a good time to buy.
Summary
For tickets issued from September to October 2026, ANA and JAL will significantly reduce fuel surcharges.
JAL, in particular, will reduce its one-way fares by 15,000 yen on long-haul routes.
ANA will also reduce its one-way fares by 10,000 yen.
There are also price reductions for East Asia, including Taiwan, with JAL offering a 4,500 yen discount one way and ANA offering a 1,100 yen discount one way.
The key point here is that the ticketing date, not the departure date, is important.
Waiting until September, rather than rushing to buy in August, may result in lower surcharges.
However, since the base airfare fluctuates separately, it's not simply a matter of "waiting until September will definitely be cheaper."
Those looking for air tickets should compare the final payment amount, which includes:
"Airfare"
"Fuel surcharge"
"Airport taxes and other fees"
Those considering a trip to Taiwan should especially check airfare prices for September and beyond.
Now that the 5,000 NTD Taiwan Lucky Land promotion has ended, this might be a chance to save money on airfare and reduce your Taiwan travel budget.