Japan Airlines Schedule Change
Ahead of my Japan Airlines return flight from Tokyo, I got a notice about a schedule change. I groaned when I saw that my flight’s departure had been moved up. I was disappointed that our final day in Japan would be cut short by several hours. The email instructed me to “Please select to confirm your reservation, change to another flight or get a refund.” Though our travel dates were already relatively locked in, I was curious whether there was another way to reshuffle things to our advantage. Here’s what to do if you get a Japan Airlines schedule change.
JAL Schedule Change Policy
Japan Airlines’ policy says that if your booking changes due to “a change (of) inflight plans, inclement weather, or other reasons,” you will have the option to:
- Confirm changes
- Change alternate flight
- Cancel booking and request refund
- You can make these changes without additional fees.
You can either make these adjustments on JAL’s website by directly managing your reservation, or you can call the JAL Contact Center and speak with an operator. JAL does not have a published threshold for the minimum schedule change required to qualify for these options. But interestingly, I also got a Japan Airlines schedule change on the way to Tokyo. That one was only a 10-minute difference, and I was given the same options to confirm, change or cancel that flight.
How to Select a New Flight
Following a Japan Airlines schedule change, JAL details how to make these changes here. I will also show you the steps I went through to make my changes. On the Japan Airlines website, I started by clicking on “My Booking.” Then I scrolled to “Confirm/Change Bookings” and then “Flight tickets/Award tickets” under the “International Flights” box. The page showed my reservations tagged with a “Disruption notice.” I clicked on my return flight and pressed “Select.”
Once my reservation loaded, I clicked on “Search for another flight.”
What to Consider
On the next screen, I was given multiple alternate flights and dates. JAL allows you to choose from flights up to seven days before or after the original date. It may even allow you to depart from a different airport in the same region. In my case, I was booked to fly out of Narita, but I had the option to choose flights departing from Haneda instead.
Before making my choice, I could also view the aircraft types of each flight. That’s worth checking, since in some cases switching aircraft could potentially result in a better onboard experience. I’ve even seen reports of people being able to move from an older business class product to one of JAL’s ToP-tier A350-1000 flights instead. (Just keep in mind that the aircraft scheduled for a flight could still change later, though.) While there were no A350 flights available for me since I was flying into Chicago, I did find some of the other departure times and the option to switch Tokyo airports appealing.
Finally, I could also click through to see the seat map. This allowed me to see which seats were still available in my cabin.
If you find a flight you like, you can select it and complete the reservation process. Nothing will change until you do so. This gives you a chance to “shop” flight options and decide whether you prefer an alternative.
What About Partner Bookings?
JAL’s policy notes that you should be able to “view and make changes to your booking even if you purchased your ticket through a travel agency or another airline. However, if you wish to cancel the booking and receive a refund, you must contact the original point of purchase. In addition, if your booking has not yet been ticketed, please contact the point of purchase to check the status of your ticket.”
It also notes, “If you purchased your ticket through a travel agency or an airline other than JAL, you may need to reprocess your ticket after making a reservation change on the JAL website. Please follow the directions on the screen and contact the company you purchased the ticket from.” In practice, your options may vary depending on the partner you booked through. If you get a schedule change notice, it’s worth checking JAL’s website to see if you can follow the steps above. And then if not, contact the partner you booked through.
Japan Airlines Schedule Change: ToP Thoughts
ToP has written before about how choosing a bad flight can work out in your favor. And sometimes, when you’re chasing a competitive international saver award, it’s less about choosing a bad flight and more about choosing an available flight. Even then, you might still get lucky with a schedule change scenario like this one. My Japan Airlines schedule change gave me lots of choices for new flight dates, times, or the chance to fly out of a different Tokyo airport on a different aircraft. And if you’re flying into or out of a U.S. airport served by JAL’s A350-1000s, you might even be able to use a schedule change as an opportunity to experience one of the best planes in the sky. Have schedule changes ever worked in your favor? Tell us your thoughts over in the ToP Facebook Group.
