ANA Devaluation

ANA announced that award prices are increasing across multiple zones in its award chart for both ANA-operated and partner operated flights. The changes will take effect starting April 18, 2024 (Japan Standard Time). Devaluations are never good, but despite the price increases, ANA Mileage Club continues to offer great value. Below we break down the details of this ANA devaluation.

Update 4/16/24: Reminder that these changes start up in a few days. If you are interested in a route going up in cost then lock it in now.

ANA Devalues Award Charts

ANA Mileage Club doesn't garner as much attention as other programs despite offering some fantastic deals. For example, ANA charges just 88,000 miles round-trip in business between the US and Europe on Star Alliance carriers.

As mentioned, the changes kick in on April 18, 2024 (Japan Standard Time). ANA's website makes it clear that if a reservation is made before the April 18 and is then changed after the start date, the new required mileage and rules will apply. So no working around the changes and maximizing the current rates that way. The ANA devaluation announcement page also has a number of questions & answers addressing how the new pricing affects other changes to existing itineraries.

None of us enjoy seeing award devaluations. But, leave it to Japan's largest airline to handle it in an exemplary way. First, they announce the changes nearly two months before they take effect, giving travelers plenty of time to book flights under the current prices. Second, the announcement shows both the current pricing and future pricing, making it easy for customers to assess the impact of the changes. No hiding the ball here.

Changes to ANA Awards

Here are some of the changes affecting flights operated by ANA. ANA's award chart distinguishes prices among three different seasons: low season (L), regular season (R), and high season (H). One silver lining here is that the ANA devaluation did not affect prices for economy or premium economy awards on ANA-operated flights.

All of these prices are round-trip:

• North America (excl. Hawaii) – Japan
  • Business:
    • Old pricing: 75,000 (L), 85,000 (R), 90,000 (H)
    • New pricing: 100,000 (L), 105,000 (R), 110,000(H)
  • First:
    • Old: 150,000 (L), 150,000 (R), 165,000 (H)
    • New: no change (L), 170,000 (R), 200,000 (H)
• Hawaii – Japan
  • Business:
    • Old: 60,000 (L), 65,000 (R), 68,000 (H)
    • New: 80,000 (L), 85,000 (R), 90,000 (H)
  • First:
    • Old: 120,000 (L), 120,000 (R), 129,000 (H)
    • New: no change (L), 140,000 (R), 160,000 (H)

ANA Devaluation: Changes to Partner Awards

There have been a number of changes to ANA's partner award charts as well. ANA does not use seasonality for partner awards, so prices are the same year-round.

By and large, ANA continues to offer good value despite the changes below. The new prices are still some of the most affordable ways to fly on Star Alliance, especially if you book with airlines that do not impose fuel surcharges.

Below are some of the changes affecting travel to and from North American with Star Alliance partners (all prices are round-trip):

• North America – Europe
  • Business:
    • Old pricing: 88,000
    • New pricing: 100,000
  • No changes to economy, premium economy, or first class
• North America – Japan
  • Business:
    • Old: 85,000
    • New: 110,000
  • First:
    • Old: 150,000
    • New: 170,000
• North America – Hawaii
  • Economy:
    • Old: 40,000
    • New: 47,000
  • Business:
    • Old: 68,000
    • New: 85,000
  • First:
    • Old: 120,000
    • New: 135,000
• North America – China/Hong Kong/Taiwan (Asia 1), South Korea
  • Business:
    • Old: 95,000
    • New: 130,000
  • First:
    • Old: 180,000
    • New: 204,000

One of the best features of ANA's award chart is that it has no element of distance-based pricing while still treating North America (excl. Hawaii) as a single zone. This means flights cost the same whether you're flying from Boston, Los Angeles, Vancouver, or anywhere in between. When you take this into account, it becomes clear that there is still a lot of value in the Mileage Club program despite this ANA devaluation.

ANA Devaluation: ToP Thoughts

This ANA devaluation could have been a lot worse. Despite the increase in price across multiple zones, ANA still offers outsized value compared to many other programs out there. Remember that you have until April 17 to book awards at the current pricing. Since the changes will kick in on April 18 Japan time, you might want to book by April 16 just to be safe.

HT Reddit