May 9, 2024, update: The pricing for non-stop flights has returned to the original 5,000 to 8,000 miles one-way. Connecting flights continue to price at the increased rates outlined below.
On May 8, 2024, without any prior announcement, United MileagePlus significantly increased the number of miles required to book domestic flights in Japan.
Until yesterday, domestic itineraries within Japan were priced at 5,000 to 8,000 miles one-way depending on the distance. From today the pricing appears to be as follows:
- 12,500 miles for routes up to 800 miles (150% increase)
- 17,500 miles for routes over 800 miles (119% increase)
The former includes routes such as Tokyo – Fukuoka and Tokyo – Sapporo while the latter includes routes such as Tokyo – Naha.
Given that there appeared to be a mistake over the past few days where award tickets between Japan and South Korea priced at just 5,000 miles one-way, there is a slight possibility that the Japanese domestic award ticket pricing change is an unintended result of the international ticket pricing fix and that the pricing will return to the former levels.
If the pricing stays at the current unattractive levels, the demand for United MileagePlus-co-branded credit cards in Japan might see a decline.
