Some very lucky travelers will receive free flight tickets on Japan Airlines in 2020. In the run-up to the Olympics, Japan Airlines is launching a new campaign to attract foreign visitors.
Free tickets with Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines announced that the airline is launching the “Win a Trip with JAL” promotion in 2020. This campaign is designed to attract foreign travelers to more destinations in Japan. As part of this campaign, JAL will offer winners free tickets on domestic Japanese flights.
This partnership is working alongside the Japan Tourism Agency and the Japan National Tourism Organization. Each winner will receive four destinations from which they can select a domestic destination to visit. The campaign will start in late-February 2020. JAL will offer 100,000 seats free of charge. However, because the seats are given out as round-trip flights, the airline will only give out 50,000 itineraries.
When will I get to fly?
More details will come around in January. However, Japan Airlines did announce some details. The applicable routes are coming out of Tokyo-Haneda and both Itami and Kansai airports in Osaka. Notably, Narita is exempt from this option. Boarding will come on or after July 1, 2020, and will end on September 30, 2020.
While it might be nice to create a multi-stop itinerary in between flights in Japan, JAL requires that the entire itinerary for the domestic flight be completed within 10 days of the first flight. Reservations will run up until seven days before the first flight.
Who is eligible for a free ticket?
There are three main stipulations to be eligibile for this promotion. First, the participant’s residence must be outside of Japan. Each participant’s passport must be issued by a country other than Japan. However, a Japanese passport holder is applicable to apply for the promotion if they have a right to permanent residence in another country.
Next up, passengers must be traveling in Japan between July and September of 2020. It is not clear, however, it appears that passengers must already have a ticket booked to the aforementioned Japanese airports between the eligible period. Whether or not this is on Japan Airlines is yet to be revealed.
And, lastly, passengers must be a JAL Mileage Bank member. This promotion does not appear to be restricted to non-Japanese elites which means it might be worth signing up for a Mileage Bank account whether or not you fly Japan Airlines often.
Overall
Airlines routinely partner with various tourist boards and governmental organizations to promote foreign tourism. In this case, it appears that Japan Airlines and the government will seek to open up additional destinations to tourists in Japan. While most will likely gravitate towards Tokyo, multiple cities in Japan have plenty of other landmarks and nooks worth visiting.
Will you consider partaking in this promotion from JAL? Let us know in the comments!
