Japan Guide Homepage
Travel
Living
Japan A-Z
Forum
Shopping
Essentials
-
Sightseeing Guide
-
Hotels
-
Transportation
-
Money
-
Questions
Sign in for a personalized experience. Don't have an account yet? Sign up now.
Korean
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
 
Search this site

Hotel Reservations

(check-in)

Online Hostel Bookings
Hostels and inexpensive ryokan from $10 per night!
Car Rentals
Compact cars from around 4,000 Yen/day!
Experience Japan Tours
Let's Learn Japanese Classical Dance!

Related Pages
Travel
Transportation

International Air Travel
Domestic Air Travel
Budget Travel

Japan Sightseeing Guide
Hokkaido
Sapporo
Otaru
Hakodate
Furano
Abashiri
Noboribetsu
Niseko
Lake Toya
Daisetsuzan
Shiretoko
Rishiri Rebun
Akan

Tohoku
Matsushima
Hiraizumi
Kakunodate
Hirosaki
Oirase

Kanto
Tokyo
Yokohama
Kamakura
Nikko
Hakone
Kawagoe
Kusatsu
Ikaho
Narita

Chubu
Nagoya
Izu Peninsula
Kanazawa
Nagano
Matsumoto
Kamikochi
Kiso Valley
Hakuba
Yudanaka
Takayama
Shirakawa-go
Gero Onsen
Inuyama
Fujigoko
Mt.Fuji

Kansai
Kyoto
Osaka
Nara
Kobe
Himeji
Kinosaki
Mount Koya
Yoshino
Amanohashidate
Hikone
Iga Ueno
Ise Shima

Chugoku
Hiroshima
Miyajima
Okayama
Kurashiki
Matsue
Iwami Ginzan
Yamaguchi
Hagi

Shikoku
Takamatsu
Kotohira
Matsuyama
Kochi

Kyushu
Fukuoka
Dazaifu
Nagasaki
Kumamoto
Mount Aso
Minamata
Kagoshima
Beppu

Okinawa
Honto
Yaeyama

Survey
What is your purpose of visiting Japan?
Leisure Trip
Business Trip
Visiting Family
Living in Japan
No trip planned
see results
Other Surveys:
Most popular region
Have you recently entered Japan?

japan-guide.com newsletter
Keeping you up to date on Japan travel and living related issues and site updates. Click here to subscribe!

japan-guide.com forum
? Any questions? Ask them on the question forum!

Sponsored Listings
Cheap Tickets
Compare Airfare Search Engines
Tour Packages
Guided and individual tour plans.
Car Rental
The cheapest rates in Japan!
Japan - Order FREE Brochure!
About vacation plans and specialty travel.
Japan Air Lines
Flights on Japan Air Lines

 
Home - Travel
Discount Air Tickets
 
basic information

While regular airfares on domestic routes remain high (see table at the bottom of the page), a wide array of discount offers has made domestic air travel very attractive and competitive in recent years. In fact, there are so many discount plans, that only very few travelers are ever paying regular fares.

Air Passes for foreign visitors only:

JAL (oneworld) and ANA (Star Alliance) are each offering air passes for exclusive use by foreign visitors to Japan, which enable holders to fly anywhere within Japan for around 12,000 Yen per flight. This is an excellent price on many domestic routes, especially on longer flights, such as from Tokyo to Kyushu, Okinawa or Hokkaido.

Like the Japan Rail Pass, air passes have to be purchased outside of Japan and before you leave for Japan. They can only be used by non-residents of Japan who arrive to and depart from Japan by international flights. There is a limit of one air pass of the same airline per person and visit.

Air passes are valid for a minimum of one or two to a maximum of five domestic flights, also called sectors. The number and routes of the sectors must be specified when you purchase the pass, but the actual flights do not need to be booked until later, except the first one, which has to be booked at the time of purchase. Air passes are valid for 60 days after the date of the first domestic flight.

Note that there are some blackout periods, during which air passes cannot be used. The typical blackout periods are mid December to early January (winter holidays), early to late March (spring holidays) and mid July to late August (summer holidays).

Below are the available types of air passes in more detail:

Oneworld Yokoso Visit Japan Pass
Price: 10,000 Yen per domestic flight*
Validity: 1-5 domestic flights by JAL Group
Blackout: Blackout periods through March 2009:
August 8, 2008 to August 18, 2008
December 20, 2008 to January 4, 2009
Eligibility: Foreign visitors who fly to/via Japan by oneworld, which includes JAL, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Quantas and several other airlines.

JAL Welcome To Japan Fare
Price: 13,000 Yen per domestic flight*
Validity: 2-5 domestic flights by JAL Group
Blackout: Blackout periods through March 2009:
March 7, 2008 to March 31, 2008
July 18, 2008 to August 31, 2008
December 12, 2008 to January 4, 2009
March 6, 2009 to March 31, 2009
Eligibility: Foreign visitors who fly to/via Japan by any airline.

Star Alliance Japan Airpass
Price: 11,000 Yen per domestic flight*
Validity: 1-5 domestic flights by ANA Group
Blackout: Blackout periods through September 2008:
December 14, 2007 to January 7, 2008
March 7, 2008 to March 31, 2008
July 18, 2008 to August 31, 2008
Eligibility: Foreign visitors who fly to/via Japan by Star Alliance, which includes ANA, United, US Airways, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Lufthansa and several other airlines.

ANA Visit Japan Fare
Price: 13,000 Yen per domestic flight*
Validity: 2-5 domestic flights by ANA Group
Blackout: Blackout periods through September 2008:
December 14, 2007 to January 7, 2008
March 7, 2008 to March 31, 2008
July 18, 2008 to August 31, 2008
Eligibility: Foreign visitors who fly to/via Japan by any airline.

* not including taxes and surcharges of a few hundred yen

 
Discounts for foreign visitors and residents of Japan:

Advance Purchase Discount
Most airlines offer discounts on domestic flights, if you reserve your ticket in advance, as shown in the table below. The biggest discounts are offered on popular routes on which competition is high. Some of the discounts are reduced or not available during peak travel seasons.
Advance Reservation
Typical Discounts
at least 28 days in advance
25% - 70%
at least 7 days in advance
20% - 40%
at least 1 day in advance
10% - 40%

JAL Bargain Fare and ANA Chowari
Over 50 percent off domestic flights
Massive discounts on domestic flights for certain boarding dates, when booked during a given reservation period. Upcoming periods are shown in the table below. Note that JAL mileage bank members are entitled to make reservations a few days before the below mentioned dates.
Reservation Period
Boarding Dates
April 18 - 27, 2008
June 19 - 23, 2008
Below are the discounted fares for one way tickets on selected major flight routes. Note that discounts are available on many other routes, too.
Route
Approximate One Way Fare
Tokyo-Sapporo
13,000 Yen
Tokyo-Osaka
10,000 Yen
Tokyo-Fukuoka
13,000 Yen
Tokyo-Okinawa
14,000 Yen
Osaka-Sapporo
14,000 Yen
Osaka-Okinawa
13,000 Yen
Example: If you fly from Tokyo to Fukuoka on June 21 and book the discount ticket between April 18 and 27, it will cost you only 13,000 Yen.

JAL Time Waribiki and ANA Totsuzen Waribiki
Around 60 percent off domestic flights
This is a kind of last-minute offer, which applies to the purchase of two or more round trip tickets on specified flights departing on weekends, and when reserved ten or fewer days in advance of the boarding date.

Discount Airlines
Around 20 percent cheaper than JAL and ANA
Discount airlines, such as Air Do and Skymark Airlines, offer many of the same types of discounts as JAL and ANA, but prices are typically at least 20 percent lower:
Skymark Airlines
From Tokyo to Fukuoka, Kobe, Okinawa, Asahikawa and Sapporo (and seasonally between Kobe and Okinawa)
A particularly good offer is the "Skymark Sky Bargain", a one way ticket on any Skymark Airlines route for around 10,000 Yen, if reserved at least 49 days in advance. Only available on specified dates.
Air Do
From Tokyo to Sapporo, Asahikawa, Hakodate and Memanbetsu
A particularly good offer is the "Air Do Special", a one way ticket on any Air Do route for around 10,000 Yen, if reserved at least 45 days in advance. Not available during peak travel seasons.
Skynet Asia Airways
From Tokyo to Miyazaki, Kumamoto, Nagasaki and Kagoshima
Starflyer
From Tokyo to Osaka's Kansai Airport and Kitakyushu

Roundtrip Fare
Around 10 percent off domestic flights
On domestic routes, roundtrip tickets are typically around ten percent cheaper than two one way tickets. Note, however, that the return trip has to be made within a certain time frame, usually within 90 days following the outward journey.

Early morning and late night flights
Around 10-20 percent off domestic flights
Some early morning and late night flights are discounted by around 10-20 percent.

 
Typical one way fares for selected routes:

Route
Airline
Approx. Regular
One Way Fare
Typical Discounted
One Way Fare
Tokyo - Sapporo JAL/ANA
Air Do
Skymark
30,000 Yen
25,000 Yen
19,000 Yen
12,000 - 21,000 Yen
10,000 - 18,000 Yen
10,000 - 18,000 Yen
Tokyo - Fukuoka JAL/ANA
Skymark
33,000 Yen
20,000 Yen
13,000 - 22,000 Yen
10,000 - 19,000 Yen
Tokyo - Osaka/Kobe JAL/ANA
Skymark
20,000 Yen
10,000 Yen
10,000 - 12,000 Yen
5,000 - 7,000 Yen
Tokyo - Okinawa JAL/ANA
Skymark
37,000 Yen
24,000 Yen
13,000 - 32,000 Yen
10,000 - 20,000 Yen
Osaka - Sapporo JAL/ANA
37,000 Yen
13,000 - 33,000 Yen
Osaka - Fukuoka JAL/ANA
20,000 Yen
11,000 - 15,000 Yen
Osaka - Okinawa JAL/ANA
30,000 Yen
11,000 - 27,000 Yen
Nagoya - Sapporo JAL/ANA
33,000 Yen
14,000 - 30,000 Yen
Nagoya - Fukuoka JAL/ANA
23,000 Yen
11,000 - 15,000 Yen
Nagoya - Okinawa JAL/ANA
35,000 Yen
14,000 - 30,000 Yen

Any advice or questions? Voice them in the forum!

english links

oneworld Yokoso/Visit Japan Fare (JAL)
Details about the Oneworld Yokoso Visit Japan Fare and JAL Welcome To Japan Fare.
Star Alliance Japan Airpass (ANA)
Details about the Star Alliance Japan Airpass.
ANA Visit Japan Fare (ANA)
Details about the ANA Visit Japan Fare.
ANA Fares and Conditions for Domestic Flights (ANA)
Includes a list of discount offers.
Skymark Airlines
English version of the official website.

japanese links

JAL Domestic Fares (JAL)
List of the various fares and discount offers.
ANA Domestic Fares (ANA)
List of the various fares and discount offers.
Air Do
Official website.
Skymark Airlines
Official website.
Skynet Asia Airways
Official website.
Starflyer
Official website.

 

 
April 27, 2008  
Copyright © 1996-2008 japan-guide.com All rights reserved
home - site map - privacy policy - terms of use - contact - L‚ɂ‚¢‚Ä - advertising

Asian-inspired
Plasma TV Stands

BuildYourJapan