Japanese airline StarFlyer will revamp its domestic fares for travel from May 19.
The new main fare types will be “Normal Fare,” “STAR,” and “Soratabi,” consolidating the previous detailed fare structure in which tickets became cheaper the earlier they were purchased, such as 75 days or 55 days in advance. The booking and sales deadlines are: Normal Fare available until the day of departure, STAR and Round-Trip Discount until the day before departure, and Soratabi until 28 days before departure. Reservation changes will be accepted only for Normal Fare.
In addition, StarFlyer will abolish traditional round-trip fares and newly introduce a “Round-Trip Discount,” under which purchasing both the outbound and return sectors at the same time using STAR or Soratabi will result in a 5% discount off the applicable fare. This discount can be applied even when the arrival airport of the outbound sector and the departure airport of the return sector are different.
Child fares and discounted fares for passengers with disabilities will be newly set at 20% and 25% off the applicable fares, respectively. Open tickets will no longer be available for travel from May 18. Refund handling fees for tickets will be abolished and unified into a single cancellation fee. Detailed fare information is scheduled to be announced around early February.
For award tickets, the deadline for accepting reservations and reservation changes will be changed to the day before departure. Passenger facility charges will start being collected for travel on the same date, and payment at the time of reservation will be possible only by credit card. In addition, the sectors that can be redeemed will be limited to a one-way sector or a round-trip on the same sector. Same-day changes to an earlier flight and airport standby for a seat will not be offered.
The free checked baggage allowance will be changed to up to 23 kilograms per piece, for up to 2 pieces, and an upper limit based on the sum of the three dimensions will be introduced. Excess baggage charges will be set separately for excess weight, number of pieces, and size. Sales of the new fares will begin on February 3.
