LCC Options: Peach, Jetstar, Spring Japan

LCC Japan starts with three true low-cost carriers and a set of mid-tier value airlines that bundle more service.¹² Residents who book early, travel light, and stay flexible can fly mainland one-ways for a fraction of full-service fares, while tight schedules and heavy bags erase the gap fast.

Confirm current details with official sources

Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at Peach Aviation, Jetstar Japan, Spring Japan, and Skymark Airlines official sites.

Overview

This guide maps the resident-side LCC landscape for budget domestic travelers: who flies where, what dated fare bands look like, and what baggage and seat trade-offs decide the real total (as of 2026-09-08; confirm current figures with each airline).²³ It covers Japanese nationals and foreign residents alike, since none of these fares is gated by visa status as a legal rule.²

The pattern is consistent across carriers. Base fares are cheap and volatile, while bags, seats, and changes cost extra on LCC tickets and come bundled on mid-tier and full-service tickets.⁴⁵⁶ The sections below name the airport base with each carrier, because coverage varies by base rather than applying nationwide.¹

The LCC Landscape in Japan

Japan deregulation plus LCC entry pushed domestic airfares down through the 2010s, making flying an economical alternative to rail on longer routes.¹ The three true LCCs sell the lowest headline fares with the strictest rules, while Skymark and its peers sell slightly higher fares with friendlier baggage and service.¹²

Carrier	Type and bases	Checked baggage	Cabin baggage	As of	Notes
Peach Aviation	LCC; Osaka Kansai and Tokyo Narita; short-haul international	Minimum: paid option; Standard and Standard Plus: 1 bag included	2 bags up to 7kg total free	2026-09-0846	ANA Group wholly owned subsidiary7
Jetstar Japan	LCC; Tokyo Narita, Osaka Kansai, Nagoya Chubu	Starter: paid option or bundle; up to 40kg purchasable	2 items totaling 7kg on Starter	2026-09-0885	Rebrand expected by June 2027; operations unaffected9
Spring Japan	LCC; Tokyo Narita (plus Nagoya to Sapporo)	Fare-dependent; check order page	Combined 7kg	2026-07-3110	Small network; JAL Group LCC10
Skymark Airlines	Mid-tier; Tokyo Haneda and Kobe	20kg total free, no piece limit	Per aircraft rules	2026-09-0811	Complimentary drinks; friendlier handling1

The table above reflects booking pages current in 2026 (as of 2026-09-08; confirm current figures with each airline).⁴⁵¹¹ Always price the exact fare result, not the airline logo alone, since bundles and fare families change inclusion.⁶

Peach Aviation

The Peach Aviation (pichi, "Japan's first LCC, now ANA Group") started operation in 2012 and became the country's largest LCC network.¹³ ANA Holdings acquired full ownership on December 20, 2024, after buying the final 7 percent from First Eastern Aviation Holdings.⁷

Its main bases are the 関西国際空港 (Kansai Kokusai Kuko, "Kansai International Airport (KIX), Peach main hub") and Tokyo Narita Airport.¹ Domestic points include Sapporo (New Chitose), Sendai, Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Amami, Okinawa (Naha), and Ishigaki, plus Seoul, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Singapore on short-haul international.⁴¹

Peach sells three fare types. Minimum is bare seat only with paid options, Standard adds seat selection and one checked bag with no ticketing fee, and Standard Plus allows flight changes and refunds (as of 2026-09-08).⁴ All three include 2 cabin bags up to 7kg total free of charge.⁴⁶

Fly Peach with only a small carry-on to keep the fare gap

Peach delivers its best value when the traveler needs no checked bag and accepts random seating. Adding one 20kg bag plus seat choice and card fee turns a JPY 3,990 headline into about JPY 7,500 to 9,500 (as of 2026-05-28).³

Jetstar Japan

The ジェットスター・ジャパン (Jettosuta Japan, "Jetstar Japan (GK airline code)") launched domestic service in July 2012 as a Qantas, Japan Airlines, and Mitsubishi Corporation joint venture.¹² It now operates from the 成田国際空港 (Narita Kokusai Kuko, "Narita International Airport (NRT), Jetstar Japan main base"), Osaka Kansai, and Nagoya Chubu.¹

Its domestic network covers 15 cities and 18 routes (as of 2025-01; confirm current figures with Jetstar Japan).⁸ The footprint is the largest among LCCs domestically, with a small international add-on.¹

Starter fares include 7kg shared across 2 items in the cabin, with a paid option to lift the total to 14kg where available (as of 2026-09-08).⁸⁵ Checked baggage is generally a paid option in weight bands up to 40kg total, and airport excess costs materially more than online pre-purchase via Manage Booking.⁵⁶ Qantas will divest its 33.32 percent holding with the Development Bank of Japan entering, transition expected complete by June 2027, followed by a brand refresh from Jetstar to a new brand with no impact on operations (as of 2026-08-04).⁹

Spring Japan

The 春秋航空日本 (Shunju Koku Nihon, "Spring Japan (IJ airline code), Narita-based LCC") started domestic flights on August 1, 2014 from Narita and added international service in February 2016.¹⁰ Japan Airlines raised its stake to two thirds in July 2021 while China Spring Airlines retained 30 percent.¹⁰

The network is small by design. Domestic service links Narita with Hiroshima, Sapporo (New Chitose), and Hakodate, plus Nagoya (Chubu) with Sapporo.¹ The summer 2026 schedule from March 29 to October 24, 2026 lists Narita-Hiroshima (IJ621/IJ622), Narita-New Chitose (IJ831/IJ833/IJ835 and returns), and Narita-Hakodate (IJ857/IJ858) with day-of-week variation (as of 2026-07-31).¹⁰

International IJ sectors from Narita cover Shanghai, Beijing, Harbin, and Tianjin, some with JAL codeshare.¹⁰ Travelers should read the exact order page for the fare product, since cabin limits stay at a combined 7kg across products while checked inclusion varies.¹⁰

Smaller and Mid-Tier Carriers

AirAsia Japan is not a current option. It ceased all operations effective October 5, 2020 and later entered bankruptcy, so older guides that list it describe a defunct carrier.¹³

Skymark Airlines is the most useful mid-tier alternative from Tokyo Haneda and Kobe to points nationwide, with moderate luggage rules and complimentary drinks.¹ It allows checked bags up to 50 x 60 x 120cm with a combined 20kg per passenger free and no piece-count limit (as of 2026-09-08; confirm current figures with Skymark Airlines).¹¹ Excess over 20kg costs JPY 2,000 for the first 1 to 10kg over and JPY 1,000 per further 10kg (as of 2026-09-08).¹¹ No piece over 32kg and no total over 100kg is accepted.¹¹

Air Do, Solaseed Air, and StarFlyer fill regional niches with relatively generous baggage and complimentary drinks.¹ Air Do centers on Haneda to Hokkaido, Solaseed Air on Haneda to Kyushu plus Kyushu and Nagoya and Kobe to Okinawa, and StarFlyer on Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Yamaguchi with above-standard seat comfort.¹ Their discount fares typically run about 20 percent or more below JAL and ANA while including checked baggage, with Skymark floors from about JPY 7,090 on sample routes (as of 2026-09-08).²

Item	Amount	As of	Notes
Skymark free checked allowance	20kg total, no piece limit	2026-09-0811	Size cap 50 x 60 x 120cm
Skymark excess 1-10kg over 20kg	JPY 2,000	2026-09-0811	Per passenger total
Skymark excess per further 10kg	JPY 1,000	2026-09-0811	32kg per-piece max
Skymark sample discount floor	from JPY 7,090	2026-09-082	Secondary sample

Typical Pricing and When LCCs Stay Cheap

Mainland LCC one-ways booked 1 to 3 months ahead run as low as JPY 5,000 to 15,000 on mainland routes (as of 2026-09-08; confirm current figures with each airline).² Sample floors include Narita-Osaka from JPY 3,470 on Jetstar, Narita-Sapporo from JPY 3,990 to 4,090, Narita-Okinawa from JPY 4,290, and Narita-Hiroshima from JPY 3,500 to 3,990 (as of 2026-09-08).²

A dated 2026 fare table fills in the trunk picture. Tokyo-Sapporo runs Peach JPY 5,490 and Jetstar JPY 4,990, Tokyo-Osaka runs Peach JPY 3,990 and Jetstar JPY 3,490, Tokyo-Fukuoka runs Peach JPY 5,990 and Jetstar JPY 5,490, Tokyo-Okinawa runs Peach JPY 6,490 and Jetstar JPY 5,990, and Osaka-Fukuoka runs Peach JPY 2,990 and Jetstar JPY 3,490 (as of 2026-05-28).³

Route sample	Floor one-way	As of	Notes
Tokyo Narita to Osaka (Jetstar Starter)	from JPY 3,470	2026-09-082	Base fare only
Tokyo Narita to Sapporo (Jetstar or Peach)	from JPY 3,990 or 4,090	2026-09-082	Base fare only
Tokyo Narita to Okinawa (Peach)	from JPY 4,290	2026-09-082	Base fare only
Narita to Hiroshima (Spring Japan)	from JPY 3,500	2026-09-082	Base fare only
Last-minute trunk LCC (any)	rarely below JPY 12,000-15,000	2026-05-283	Within 7 days

The table above shows base fares before bags and seats (as of 2026-09-08; confirm current figures with each airline).² Last-minute fares within 7 days on ANA and JAL typically run JPY 30,000 to 60,000 on trunk routes, while LCCs at the same window are rarely below JPY 12,000 to 15,000 (as of 2026-05-28).³

Timing decides whether the gap survives. Peak windows such as New Year, Golden Week, Obon, and spring break push LCC prices toward full-service levels, while off-peak booking saves 30 to 50 percent versus peak (as of 2026-09-08).² Early-morning flights before 8am and late-night flights run about 10 to 20 percent cheaper than midday, and Tuesday and Wednesday run cheaper than Friday through Sunday (as of 2026-09-08).²

Flash sales add a further layer. Peach and Jetstar run Tuesday and Wednesday sales for travel in the following 3 to 8 weeks down to about JPY 1,990 one-way domestic, sold as non-refundable no-change one-ways that often sell out within 2 to 4 hours (as of 2026-05-28).³

Peak and last-minute prices erase the LCC advantage

Golden Week, Obon, New Year, and spring break lift LCC totals near full-service advance fares. Book 1 to 3 months ahead and keep Tuesday and Wednesday options open when dates are flexible.²³

Trade-Offs: Baggage, Seats, and Comfort

Peach carry-on is 2 bags up to 7kg total free on all fare types (as of 2026-09-08; confirm current figures with Peach Aviation).⁴⁶ Checked baggage on Minimum is a paid per-piece option capped at 20kg and 203cm total dimensions per piece, while Standard and Standard Plus include 1 free bag, with an operational ceiling of 5 bags and 100kg per passenger.⁴¹⁴⁶

Bags over 20kg up to 32kg need a heavy-baggage option per piece, and bags at 204cm total or more need an oversized option.¹⁵ Official domestic fees are uniform across domestic routes, but the yen figures render as images on the official page and were verified here through the dated secondary bands below.¹⁵

Seat and change rules are equally strict. Seat selection is charged on Minimum, includes 3 types free on Standard, and opens paid Fast Area and front-row choice on Standard Plus.⁴ Food and drinks are sold onboard at about JPY 200 to 850.³ Minimum and Standard allow no flight changes, while only Standard Plus allows changes; Minimum and Standard cancellations give no refund except Peach Points after fee deduction on Standard.⁴

Jetstar follows the same logic with different numbers. Starter cabin is 2 items totaling 7kg with the main bag capped at 56 x 36 x 23cm and the small item under the seat (as of 2026-09-08).⁵⁶ A paid plus-7kg option lifts the total to 14kg with no single item over 10kg.⁵ Starter checked baggage is generally a paid weight-band option or bundle, one piece may not exceed 32kg, and airport purchase costs materially more than online pre-purchase.⁵⁶

The all-in math matters more than the headline. Third-party 2026 online bands put Peach checked 20kg at JPY 2,900 to 3,600, Jetstar checked 20kg at JPY 2,500 to 3,200, standard seats at JPY 540 to 1,100, change fees at JPY 3,000, Peach card fees at JPY 440 to 880, Jetstar card fees at JPY 330 to 770, and counter check-in at JPY 880 to 1,100 (as of 2026-05-28).³ A JPY 3,990 headline thus becomes about JPY 7,500 to 9,500 with one 20kg bag, seat choice, and card fee (as of 2026-05-28).³

Item	Amount	As of	Notes
Peach checked 20kg online	JPY 2,900-3,600	2026-05-283	Pre-purchase band
Jetstar checked 20kg online	JPY 2,500-3,200	2026-05-283	Pre-purchase band
Peach or Jetstar seat standard	JPY 540-1,100	2026-05-283	Random assignment free
Peach or Jetstar flight change fee	JPY 3,000	2026-05-283	Where changes allowed

Full-service contrast sets the break-even. JAL domestic Economy includes up to 20kg checked free with no piece limit (each piece max 50 x 60 x 120cm) plus 10kg cabin of carry-on plus personal item.⁶ ANA domestic Economy allows up to two 23kg pieces depending on fare (each max 158cm total) plus 10kg cabin.⁶ Once one checked bag is priced in, the LCC to full-service gap narrows to about JPY 3,000 to 4,000 per sector (as of 2026-05-28).³

Comfort follows price. LCC cabins use dense single-aisle layouts with paid food and drink and no included extras, while Skymark and full-service carriers keep complimentary drinks and friendlier handling.³¹¹¹ The 手荷物 (tenimotsu, "baggage (carry-on plus checked)") and 座席指定 (zaseki shitei, "seat selection (paid on LCC base fares)") rules above decide whether the cheap seat stays cheap.⁶⁴

Resident Utility: When to Choose an LCC

LCCs are excellent for short trips and flexible-date family travel where bags are light and dates can shift to cheap days.²³ Weekday mornings, advance purchase, and carry-on-only packing preserve the fare floors above.²

They are less reliable for tight-schedule business with luggage. Minimum and Starter tickets are non-refundable and non-changeable, check-in and baggage cutoffs close 30 to 40 minutes before departure, and irregular-operation rebooking is thinner than on full-service carriers.⁴⁵²

Tokyo airport choice often decides the winner. LCC Tokyo flights use Narita at 60 to 80 minutes from central Tokyo with JPY 3,000 to 4,000 round-trip express transfer, while JAL, ANA, and Skymark offer Haneda at 30 to 45 minutes with lower transfer cost (as of 2026-09-08).² Osaka splits the same way, with Peach at Kansai (KIX) against fuller domestic frequency at Itami on many trunk routes.¹

Mixing one-way tickets across airlines for outbound and return carries no round-trip penalty and can save money.² Price the bag, the seat, and the train to the airport together before assuming the LCC sticker wins.⁶²

Good to know

Book 1 to 3 months ahead; last-minute and peak prices approach full-service levels

Mainland floors of JPY 5,000 to 15,000 assume booking 1 to 3 months ahead (as of 2026-09-08).² Within 7 days, LCCs rarely price below JPY 12,000 to 15,000 while ANA and JAL run JPY 30,000 to 60,000 on trunk routes (as of 2026-05-28).³

Peak windows erase the gap fastest. New Year, Golden Week, Obon, and spring break lift LCC totals near full-service advance fares, so early booking plus Tuesday and Wednesday travel protects the saving.²³

Add baggage and seat fees before comparing with ANA or JAL

Headline fares exclude checked bags, seat choice, card fees, and counter check-in.⁴⁵ A JPY 3,990 fare becomes about JPY 7,500 to 9,500 all-in with one 20kg bag (as of 2026-05-28).³

Peach Minimum and Jetstar Starter include only 7kg in the cabin.⁴⁵⁶ Step up to Standard or a bundle when a suitcase is certain, and pre-buy bags online rather than at the airport.⁵⁶

Check which Tokyo or Osaka airport the flight uses

Tokyo LCC flights use Narita at 60 to 80 minutes and JPY 3,000 to 4,000 round-trip transfer, while Haneda options sit 30 to 45 minutes out at lower cost (as of 2026-09-08).² A Sapporo return comparison showed Jetstar via Narita plus rail at about JPY 10,500 versus Air Do via Haneda at about JPY 11,500, a JPY 1,000 gap before schedule and time costs.²

Osaka needs the same check. Peach departs Kansai (KIX), while many trunk domestic frequencies use Itami, so ground time and cost can flip a close fare comparison.¹

See also

• ANA and JAL Frequent Flyer Programs for Domestic Use
• Shinkansen Frequent-Traveler Discounts
• Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Regional-Resident Travel
• Shinkansen vs Flight vs Local Train: A Resident Decision Framework
• Domestic Travel Discounts for Residents
• Journey-Planning Apps

References

Footnotes

1. Japan Guide. Domestic Air Travel (carrier summaries, bases, service levels; Spring Japan routes; Skymark bases). https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2365.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷

2. Japan Living Life (Bui Le Quan). Domestic Flights in Japan: Budget Tips and Deals for Foreigners (published March 4, 2026, updated September 8, 2026; sample LCC fares; baggage fee bands; Narita vs Haneda transfer). https://japanlivinglife.com/articles/domestic-flights-japan-budget-tips ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶

3. Japan Trip Navi. Japan Domestic Flights Guide 2026: Budget Airlines, Routes and How to Book (published May 28, 2026; advance-purchase fare table; last-minute fare bands; ancillary fee table). https://kanko-map.com/en/japan-domestic-flights-guide/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹

4. Peach Aviation. Fare Types (Minimum, Standard, Standard Plus). https://www.flypeach.com/en/lm/fares/fare_type ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴

5. Jetstar Japan. Baggage (carry-on 7kg on Starter; checked baggage up to 40kg; airport excess costs more). https://www.jetstar.com/jp/en/flights/baggage ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

6. Real Japan Guide. Japan Domestic Flight Baggage: JAL, ANA and LCC Rules (checked August 24, 2026; cabin 7kg LCC vs 10kg JAL ANA; Peach Minimum no checked bag; Jetstar Starter paid). https://real-japan-guide.com/japan-domestic-flight-baggage-2026/ ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

7. ANA Holdings. Acquisition of All Shares of Peach Aviation (wholly owned subsidiary as of December 20, 2024). https://www.anahd.co.jp/group/en/pr/202412/20241220.html ↩ ↩²

8. Jetstar Japan. LCC Flight Tickets Japan Domestic Flights (15 cities, 18 routes; Starter with 7kg carry-on only). https://www.jetstar.com/jp/en/about-us/lcc-yokoso ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Qantas Group. Update on New Jetstar Japan Shareholder Structure, Binding Agreement Signed (Qantas divestment of 33.32 percent; DBJ entry; rebrand by June 2027; ASX release August 4, 2026). https://announcements.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20260804/pdf/072d9yqszhfwjs.pdf ↩ ↩²

10. CAPA Centre for Aviation. Spring Japan Airline Profile (Narita hub; JAL majority stake; Spring Airlines minority; commenced domestic operations August 1, 2014). https://centreforaviation.com/data/profiles/airlines/spring-japan-ij ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

11. Skymark Airlines. Checked Baggage (20kg free; excess fee schedule; Haneda 30-minute cutoff). https://www.skymark.co.jp/en/baggage/checked.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

12. Japan Airlines / Qantas Group. Formation of Jetstar Japan (Qantas, JAL, Mitsubishi joint venture announcement August 16, 2011). https://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/201108/003386.html ↩

13. AirAsia Japan (AirAsia Newsroom). Announcement of Cessation of Operations (effective October 5, 2020). https://newsroom.airasia.com/news/2020/10/5/airasia-japan-announcement-en ↩

14. Peach Aviation. About baggage (carry-on and checked baggage overview). https://www.flypeach.com/en/lm/ai/airports/baggage ↩

15. Peach Aviation. Fees and Charges (domestic and international fee tables). https://www.flypeach.com/en/lm/fares/fees_and_charges ↩ ↩²