What is this fee? Please help me understand.
 

I've been trying to contact Asia Miles for hours and they keep telling me that their lines are full and that they'll call me by the end of the next business day. I fly tomorrow and need information ASAP.

I'm flying Manila-Narita and we have an airport tax of PhP1620. The ticket I bought using my Asia Miles is a Japan Airlines ticket, rescheduled and rerouted, so I already paid for the Japan airport taxes months ago. I was told that rerouting would cost USD 30.

On my ticket, I was charged HKD 354, as shown below:

This HKD 354 is more than USD 30 and also more than PhP 1620, but less than both combined. I am confused since they did not explain the charge on the ticket. Should I assume that my airport tax has been paid, or not?

Thanks!

[Edit - erroneous data removed]

Airport taxes in Manila are paid in cash at the airport, not in the ticket.

Ticket reissue fees don't show as taxes. That will be billed separately.

I was initially set to fly Narita-Manila-Narita, then rerouted to fly Manila-Narita-Manila. Both were supposed to be JAL flights under the Asia Miles program. Wouldn't I already have been charged JAL fuel surcharge when I first paid fees on my original ticket (I was set to fly in April)?

The fees on my old ticket:

It is a relief to hear that $354 is a value that sounds familiar to you, however. If it is another surcharge, would it be likely for CX and JAL to charge the same?

The thing is, my daughter had to buy her ticket from a travel agency, and as we were picking up her ticket, they asked me to pay for her airport taxes already. So I'm unsure as to whether mine has been paid.

I thought that was likely.

Thank you so much for your help.

Ah OK. I honestly don't know what JAL's fuel surcharges are (they are unlikely to be the same as CX's). However, when you reissue a ticket they will be reassessed and I expect that JAL's have gone up significantly since the old ticket was issued.

The tax situation in The Philippines is complicated. There are more taxes for Filipinos than there are for foreigners. I don't think there's any way to pay the actual airport tax in advance. However, Filipinos travelling on revenue tickets originating in the Philippines have to pay a separate "departure tax" (I can't remember the official name offhand) which can be collected by the TA with the ticket. If you are travelling on a non-revenue ticket (e.g. an AsiaMiles one) then I don't think this tax is payable. Foreigners don't have to pay this tax.

I believe you will still have to pay PHP750 per person at the airport for that tax.

EDIT - found it - http://press.jal.co.jp/en/release/200805/000937.html
The fuel surcharge went up from US$72 to US$95 per segment.
Those values pretty much exactly match the YQ figures on the old and new tickets. An extra $46 is HK$354.

JAL's fuel surcharges are, by the way, quite extraordinary - more than double the surcharges on Cathay for longhaul and triple for short haul!
(Which means that it would actually have been cheaper for you to route via HKG on CX)

The 1620 is the Travel Tax that is charged to Filipinos holding Philippine passports.

Thats right -- which is the reason why a foreigner should always have their passport with them when purchasing tickets in the Philippines.

Thank you all for the input, which has clarified everything.

Thanks especially, christep, for the detailed and very helpful information. I appreciate that very much. And the CX/JAL surcharge differential is good to know for the next trip I take. :)