People hoping to travel abroad will have to wait until January for cheaper flights even though oil prices are plunging and the yen is rapidly strengthening against the dollar and euro.
Airlines operating from Japan set fuel surcharges in three-month intervals that must be approved by the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry. The new surcharges, for which carriers refer to the average Singapore kerosene price from August to October, kick in New Year's Day.
"Given the current situation surrounding fuel prices and exchange rates, surcharges will definitely fall" starting Jan. 1, Japan Airlines spokesman Soichi Yotsuki said Monday. All Nippon Airways spokesman Shinichi Shinkawa also said that the surcharges will drop.