Discount Air Tickets

While regular airfares by conventional airlines remain relatively high on domestic routes, an increasing competition by discount airlines and a wide array of discount offers have made domestic air travel in Japan 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.

Special fares and air passes for foreign visitors

JAL (and oneworld) and ANA each offer special fares and air passes for exclusive use by foreign visitors to Japan, which enable holders to fly anywhere within Japan for somewhat over 10,000 yen per flight (also referred to as "sector"). This is a quite competitive price on many domestic routes, especially on longer flights, such as flights from Tokyo to Kyushu, Okinawa or Hokkaido.

Like the Japan Rail Pass, some of the 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 an international flight. Some offers are not available during certain blackout periods, which are typically the New Year holidays, the spring holidays in the second half of March and the summer holidays from mid July through August.

Below is some basic information about the air passes. Consult the airlines for more details:

* not including taxes and surcharges of a few hundred yen

Budget Airlines

Budget airlines, such as Skymark Airlines and Air Do, offer many of the same types of discounts as JAL and ANA, but prices are typically at least 20 percent lower. The entry of genuine low-cost carriers, such as Peach Aviation and Jetstar Japan, in 2012 has lowered available air fares even more:

Skymark Airlines - (Official English website)

Network:    Fares:    Service/Luggage:    English Online Reservations: available

Skymark has the most extensive route network among the discount airlines in Japan. It operates inexpensive flights from its main bases in Tokyo-Haneda and Kobe to destinations nationwide. The airline maintains a certain level of services at the airport as well as a quite moderate luggage policy, but reduces its on-board service to a minimum. It offers an easy-to-use English website.

Peach Aviation - (Official English website)

Network:    Fares:    Service/Luggage:    English Online Reservations: available

Peach started operation in spring 2012 as Japan's first genuine low-cost carrier, introducing fare levels not seen in Japan before. The airline is based at Osaka's Kansai Airport, Okinawa's Naha Airport and Tokyo's Narita Airport and operates several domestic and international routes to nearby Asian destinations. It maintains a strict luggage policy and keeps services to a bare minimum, although paid drinks and snacks are available on board. Beware of hidden fees.

Jetstar Japan - (Official English website)

Network:    Fares:    Service/Luggage:    English Online Reservations: available

Jetstar Japan flies from Tokyo's Narita Airport, Osaka's Kansai Airport and Nagoya's Central Japan Airport to several domestic destinations and a small number of international destinations. Jetstar's luggage policy is strict, and services are limited, although paid drinks and snacks are available on board. Beware of hidden fees.

Vanilla Air - (Official English website)

Network:    Fares:    Service/Luggage:    English Online Reservations: available

Vanilla Air operates a small number of domestic and international routes mainly out of Tokyo's Narita Airport. Vanilla Air's luggage policy is strict (the free 20 kg luggage limit advertised on their website applies only to travelers selecting the most expensive fare option), and services are limited, although paid drinks and snacks are available on board. Beware of hidden fees.

Spring Airlines Japan - (Official English website)

Network:    Fares:    Service/Luggage:    English Online Reservations: available

Spring Airlines Japan connects Narita Airport with Hiroshima, Saga and several cities in China.

Air Do - (Official English website)

Network:    Fares:    Service/Luggage:    English Online Reservations: not available

Air Do operates inexpensive flights from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to various destinations in Hokkaido, and from Sapporo to multiple secondary airports across Honshu. A relatively generous baggage allowance and a certain service level are maintained, including complementary drinks.

Starflyer - (Official English website)

Network:    Fares:    Service/Luggage:    English Online Reservations: not available

Starflyer offers inexpensive flights from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Yamaguchi and Osaka's Kansai Airport. It also flies between Nagoya and Fukuoka. Starflyer offers not only inexpensive fares, but also a comfort level that exceeds that of conventional airlines by offering spacious seats, complementary drinks and a video system for every passenger. A relatively generous baggage allowance is maintained.

Solaseed Air (formerly known as Skynet Asia Airways)

Network:    Fares:    Service/Luggage:    English Online Reservations: not available

Solaseed Air operates inexpensive flights from Tokyo's Haneda Airport to various cities on Kyushu, and from these Kyushu airports to Okinawa. A relatively generous baggage allowance and a certain service level are maintained, including complementary drinks.

Advance Purchase Discounts

An effective way to get low rates on domestic flights in Japan is to purchase as early as possible. Most airlines start selling their flights from two months in advance (details vary between airlines) and offer particularly large discounts when booked at least 45, 35 or 28 days in advance. Many airlines also offer discounts on bookings made seven, three or one day ahead of travel date.

The biggest discounts are offered on popular routes on which competition is high. Most discounts are available for just a limited number of seats on each flight and may sell out quickly. They are often tied to higher handling fees for ticket modification and cancellation. Some of the discounts are reduced or unavailable during peak travel seasons. Online bookings are possible on each airline's website, but note that some airlines do not maintain English websites.

Avoiding Peak Travel Periods

Many of the discount fares are less attractive or unavailable during peak travel periods such as the New Year holidays (late December to early January), the spring school holidays (second half of March and early April), Golden Week (late April to early May) and the summer holidays (mid July through August, especially Obon in mid August). Furthermore, fares on many routes are somewhat higher from Friday to Sunday than during the rest of the week.

Round-trip Discounts

Domestic flights in Japan are priced and sold in one-way sectors rather than round-trips. Nevertheless, many airlines do offer small discounts on round trips. However, since only one type of discount can be applied per flight and other discounts (especially advance purchase discounts) are usually better priced, round-trip discounts are often not the most attractive option.

Early morning and late night flights

The fares of some of the early morning and late night flights are typically around 10-20 percent lower.

Typical one way fares for selected routes

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