Punctuality, long a source of pride among airlines in Japan, has eroded as an increase in inexperienced travelers and overcrowded flight schedules are delaying airport procedures.
The on-time flight rate for domestic routes in fiscal 2024 was about 80 percent in fiscal 2024, the lowest since official records were first kept in fiscal 2000.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism in March issued a request for improvement to the Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan, an organization comprising aviation companies.
The ministry defines the “on-time performance ratio” as the percentage of flights that depart and arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled times.
According to ministry statistics, the proportion of domestic flights departing on time hovered around 90 percent between fiscal 2000 and 2010.
The rate dropped to a record low 84.33 percent in fiscal 2024.
The lowest rate was logged for budget carrier Jetstar Japan at 78.15 percent, followed by All Nippon Airways (ANA) at 82.73 percent and Japan Airlines (JAL) at 83.7 percent.
For fiscal 2025, only monthly figures for April through September are available. They reveal that all months except June recorded worse year-on-year on-time departure rates.
The proportion of flights arriving on time, which is more important for passengers, was 80.89 percent in fiscal 2024.
The numbers for leading carriers ANA and JAL were 78.15 percent and 79.69 percent, respectively.
PASSENGER CHANGES
The transport ministry noted that passenger demographics have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, as workers are increasingly relying on video conferences instead of taking business trips.
The number of day-trip passengers for “business and work” on domestic routes plummeted from 3.17 million in 2019 to 1.03 million in 2024.
The number of travelers for “tourism and recreation,” including leisure passengers, declined less significantly from 1.71 million to 1.53 million, increasing their presence among all users.
Many leisure customers are not accustomed to air travel and tend to buy many souvenirs on their return trips.
Overpacked and perhaps unfamiliar with check-in procedures, inexperienced travelers can contribute greatly to congestion and delays in boarding and disembarking procedures at airports.
To reduce costs, domestic flight operators are turning to smaller planes. Their seat occupancy rates have consequently risen in tandem with the steady annual increases in passenger numbers.
The growing use of compact aircraft has pushed up the number of flights and led to congestion at airports, especially Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Fukuoka Airport.
Hajime Tozaki, a former JAL employee and a professor of aviation policy at J.F. Oberlin University, pointed to tight flight schedules as well as thunderstorms, heavy snow and other extreme weather events as causes of airport congestion.
“The effects of congestion are spilling over to regional airports, causing delays to pile up,” Tozaki said.
Tozaki stressed that the serious dearth of ground-handling operators is adding to the difficulties of ensuring punctual flights.
“Airlines have yet to adequately prepare themselves for the increasing demand in air travel,” he said.
Noting that aircraft make multiple round trips every day, Tozaki said a five-minute delay on an early morning flight could push back subsequent landing and takeoff times. This could, in turn, cause the aircraft to miss the airport’s curfew on the last flight.
EARLY IS BETTER
The aviation industry is forging ahead with countermeasures while adhering to the “safety-first” philosophy.
The Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan, for example, revised its luggage rules in April.
Passengers are still allowed two pieces of carry-on baggage. But such bags should be “compact and light enough” to be placed in overhead compartments by the passengers themselves.
Their “handy items,” such as handbags, must be “within size limits that can be stored under the seat in front.”
The revised criteria are based on feedback from crew members who had complained about the time-consuming process of storing luggage.
Airlines have adopted these rules across the board.
Taking past flight delays into account, ANA adopted a looser timetable last winter to allow for more leeway in aircraft operations. JAL has taken a similar measure.
The transport ministry readjusted the scope of airspace handled by some air traffic controllers in January this year, on grounds that the limited number of aircraft allowed in a given airspace at one time had previously contributed to delays.
Tozaki said passengers should take common-sense measures on their own, particularly during major holiday seasons and other busy periods.
“What is important for you first and foremost is to arrive at the security check site and the boarding gate by your designated time,” the professor said.
Both JAL and ANA warn that customers “will not be able to fly if they fail to board at least 10 minutes before departure.”
Tozaki said roads and souvenir shops are likely to be crowded during major holiday periods, meaning that people should include ample spare time in their schedules.
Passengers are also advised to check on latest regulations imposed by airlines. The number of mobile batteries allowed on board, for instance, is now limited to two.
AloJapan.com