Domestic Flights and Credit Card

Hi

I have made 2 reservation for domestic flights on internet from ANA and Skymark official sites.
They are not the special discount tickets for foreigners (aka Air Pass)

My question are

1) Are these only available for Japan Residents only? Because it required a valid japanese contact number (I gave them my friend's number)

2)Is it possible to pay by my dad's credit card? By which I am not a card holder then, will this be a problem when checking in? Does the passenger have to be the same as the card holder?

Thank you in advance! :)

Bean

I've never done this (buying a ticket with someone else's card) before but there're some webpages which reject payment by credit card of a different name. If web transaction goes smoothly, then I don't think that you'll have a problem at the airport. Just make sure that you'll have a print out of the confirmation page/mail and ID (passport) and go to the counter. Without the credit card, you cannot use a ticket-issing machine.

Thank you for your reply.
I should try to buy them as soon as possible to see if its accepted right? :)

As for Skymark, they accept reservations from people without an address in Japan. However, their terms and conditions state that credit cards used for online payment should be owned by the passenger or traveling companion. Unless you travel with your father, you won't be able to use their online system.

As for ANA, I am not sure.

I checked the ANA site.

1) Are these only available for Japan Residents only? Because it required a valid japanese contact number (I gave them my friend's number)

-Quote-
The services are for Japan residents only.
-Unquote-
http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/dms/others/read/index.html

I'll call them to see how strictly they enforce the regulation when I have time. As you have a friend in Japan, it can be of some help to you.

2)Is it possible to pay by my dad's credit card? By which I am not a card holder then, will this be a problem when checking in? Does the passenger have to be the same as the card holder?

According to their ticket purchase procedure page in Japanese, in your case, your father can pay the bill for your air ticket with his credit card. He must write down the reservation # and the confirmation (receiving) #, then tell you the numbers. You need to tell the #s to the check in agent (or press them on the check in machine) when you check in.

http://www.ana.co.jp/dom/reservation/tkl/gift_type/index.htm...

As for skymark, I didn't find any stipulation that a passenger must be a resident of Japan.

However,
-Quote-
3.The cardholder must be the passenger or traveling companion.

5.You are required to present the credit card that was used for making the reservation when checking in at the airport. We request the cardholder to present his/her credit card at check-in if the passenger is not the relevant cardholder.
-Unquote-

http://www.skymark.co.jp/en/rule.html

This remark could be troublesome to you.

But I clearly recall I paid for my father's Skymark tickets with my credit card two years ago, though I forget whether I made the reservations via phone or via the internet. I was told by the Skymark rep to tell my dad to produce his ID to the check in staff upon check in, and he was actually admitted into the plane without problem.

I'd call them to verify whether this is still the case if necessary.

Thank you for your replies :)
I think perhaps I should go for ANA even though I have to pay a little more but it seems to be less complicated.

You might as well make a reservation over the phone if you have a skype out account. It's pretty reasonable no matter how distant from Japan your current whereabouts is.

In that way you can make sure what's the best solution for you so that you can avoid being refused boarding at the airport. Of course you can get the cheapest possible ticket via the phone as well.

ANA domestic reservation center contact #:
+81-(0)3-6741-1120
http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/common/contact/index.html

Skymark
+81-(0)3-3433-7670
http://www.skymark.co.jp/en/index.html

Airpasses could be an alternative in case things get complicated. I updated the info.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1...
Beware of the blackout dates.

Happy travels.

Thank you for your reply, after reading your comment, I decided to purchase ANA flight ticlets already :)
And I dont need to verify the credit card at the airport :D

@Bean-san,

I called both airlines to inquire about how to cope with this situation.

The result is that you can board their metals on your father's credit card. However you need to be well aware of the proper procedures to avoid possible hassles upon check in.

1) ANA
The sentence "The services are for Japan residents only." is the original concept they had when they designed this English online reservation system.

Now they allow those living abroad to utilize this service by filling out the contact # column with your hotel's, friend's or aquiantance's number. Therefore the sentence doesn't have a significant meaning anymore, I'd say.

You can book a ticket online with your father's credit card. First, complete the reservation process and write down the reservation # which appears in the last stage. Then proceed to the payment stage. You need to fill out the passenger's (your) name, reservation #, credit card # and the security code, the 3-digit # written on the reverse side of the credit card.

When the transaction is finished, another number, the reception number will appear on the browser. You need to write down it again. So you need to write down two references, reservation # and reception #. Here all the booking processes are done.

When you check in, you have only to tell the check in agent the two references. No need to show your ID. Also a check in machine will do.

I called them twice to comprehend this procedure correctly...

2) Skymark
You don't need to be a resident of Japan to utilize their English online reservation service in the first place.

First complete the booking and payment processes on your father's credit card #. You are entitled to fly with them by paying for the ticket on your father's credit card. It's allowed only within the family members, according to them. Thus my father could fly Skymark on my credit card before.

After completing the payment, call them so that they can make arrangement for you to allow you to board when you check in by producing your ID.

If you don't mind calling internationally them via skype, you can fly cheaper :-)

Anyway no matter which airline you may fly, you need to be meticulous when you make a booking, though you can definitely fly with them finally.

I'd suggest you not to believe an unconvincing reply. Nowadays every airline is very nervous about this kind of matters. Any discrepancy in passenger's name between the air ticket, the passport and credit card may cause unnecessary big trouble.

Anyway, wish you a pleasant journey!!

Wow, thank you so much for being bothered doing this for me!
I really appriciate it!
Thank you for clearly explaining everything :)