Flights from Japan to US??
aqua
there any websites you can book with or can you go to a travel agent
that deals in english? I'll be staying a few months in tokyo
originally from new zealand. While im in tokyo i'd like to buy a
ticket for a week to visit the states and then come back to japan so
I'll still have my return ticket back to new zealand.
Does anyone know how I go about this and what the prices are? so far
I've seen 100,000 yen from narita to san diego/
Thanks!
Ryan Ginstrom
news:ac9c9431.03071...@posting.google.com...
> Does anyone know how I go about this and what the prices are? so far
> I've seen 100,000 yen from narita to san diego/
> Thanks!
It depends greatly on when you go and who you book with, and to some extent
where you fly from. I have seen tickets to LA in the 40,000 yen range, and
of course smack dab in the middle of Obon you'd be crying tears of joy to
get a ticket for 100,000 yen...
Unfortunately, a number of the cheaper travel agencies folded in the wake of
9/11 -- a testament to their low profit margins, but no help to us now.
I'm flying from Okinawa to San Francisco, with a 5-day stop in the
Philippines, in the pre-peak season (7/21 departure) for around 70,000 yen.
Flying from a hub like Tokyo I'm sure it would have been cheaper, although
we wouldn't have been able to get the side trip to PI. This ticket was
through HIS (<http://www.his-j.com/>), which is still fairly cheap.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Ryan Ginstrom
> there any websites you can book with or can you go to a travel agent
> that deals in english? I'll be staying a few months in tokyo
> originally from new zealand. While im in tokyo i'd like to buy a
> ticket for a week to visit the states and then come back to japan so
> I'll still have my return ticket back to new zealand.
I will now demonstrate my loser status by replying to the same message
twice.
On the HIS site, I see a flight departing Narita 9/14 (Sun) for LA, for a
5-10 day stay, for 44,000 yen.
http://www.his-j.com/tyo/air/usa/093lax.htm
You can try playing around with the variables to get the best match for your
schedule/budget.
As to travel agents that speak English, my advice would be to get a
Japanese-speaking buddy to hold your hand through the procedure with a
Japanese agency. These days, it's not too complicated -- you make the
reservations, get an invoice via fax, wire them the payment or bring it in
in person, then get a confirmation fax, which you take to the airport and
use to pick up your ticket at their counter.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Curt Fischer
aqua wrote:
> How do you go about getting a cheap flight to the US from Japan?
Can you pay in US dollars? If so, I recommend using travelocity.com or
orbitz.com or cheaptickets.com or one of those sorts of sites. Or buy
direct from a US airline.
> are
> there any websites you can book with or can you go to a travel agent
> that deals in english?
> I'll be staying a few months in tokyo
> originally from new zealand. While im in tokyo i'd like to buy a
> ticket for a week to visit the states and then come back to japan so
> I'll still have my return ticket back to new zealand.
>
> Does anyone know how I go about this and what the prices are? so far
> I've seen 100,000 yen from narita to san diego/
In one of those lie-filled travel ad broadsheets I saw an ad for
Narita-LA-Narita for JPY6000.
--
Curt Fischer
Ed
"Ryan Ginstrom" <gins...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:beo33g$6v7iu$1...@ID-101276.news.uni-berlin.de...
> "aqua" <aqua_gi...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:ac9c9431.03071...@posting.google.com...
> > Does anyone know how I go about this and what the prices are? so far
> > I've seen 100,000 yen from narita to san diego/
> > Thanks!
>
> It depends greatly on when you go and who you book with, and to some
extent
> where you fly from. I have seen tickets to LA in the 40,000 yen range, and
> of course smack dab in the middle of Obon you'd be crying tears of joy to
> get a ticket for 100,000 yen...
I used to think the same thing until I did a little shopping around. None of
the travel agencies seem to be any cheaper or more expensive then the
others. They all have the come-on prices for flights they can't get tickets
for and will use whatever means they can to separate you from your money
before they even know if they can get you a ticket for the money you give
them.
That said, HIS does have English speaking travel agents.
Ryan Ginstrom
"Ed" <gwb...@whitehouse.gov> wrote in message
news:bepurk$b3o$1...@cobalt01.janis.or.jp...
>
> "Ryan Ginstrom" <gins...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:beo33g$6v7iu$1...@ID-101276.news.uni-berlin.de...
> extent
> > where you fly from. I have seen tickets to LA in the 40,000 yen range,
and
> > of course smack dab in the middle of Obon you'd be crying tears of joy
to
> > get a ticket for 100,000 yen...
>
> I used to think the same thing until I did a little shopping around. None
of
> the travel agencies seem to be any cheaper or more expensive then the
> others.
I have heard it said that airline tickets are nearly a perfect market, since
everybody pays exactly what they are prepared to pay. If you look hard
enough for the cheaper fares, you'll find them.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
m. lamphier
It depends on when you are travelling. You can get an idea of the
prices here:
http://abroad.travel.yahoo.co.jp/bin/aair_detail?p=0&yclient_cd=enet&ticket_cd=KE-SAN&area_cd=0500
This site is in Japanese, but you can see the prices for an economy
ticket at the bottom: ranges 70,000 to 100,000 yen
-----------------------------------------------
Ed
Finding the cheaper fares isn't the problem. Getting them is. The travel
agent SOP is quite simple. They say "I have you booked on flight XX blah
blah blah for (relatively cheap fare)." You say "Great!" and pay them the
money for the ticket. About two weeks before the flight is scheduled to
leave, they'll call you up and tell you that they couldn't get the ticket.
Reserving a seat is easy enough for them since the airlines routinely
overbook flights, but actually getting you the ticket is a completely
different matter.
In terms of compensation for losing that cheap fare, they'll offer you a
guaranteed ticket at a price that is slightly lower than what the travel
agency across the street can get you.
Ryan Ginstrom
> since
> > everybody pays exactly what they are prepared to pay. If you look hard
> > enough for the cheaper fares, you'll find them.
>
> Finding the cheaper fares isn't the problem. Getting them is. The travel
> agent SOP is quite simple. They say "I have you booked on flight XX blah
> blah blah for (relatively cheap fare)." You say "Great!" and pay them the
> money for the ticket. About two weeks before the flight is scheduled to
> leave, they'll call you up and tell you that they couldn't get the ticket.
> Reserving a seat is easy enough for them since the airlines routinely
> overbook flights, but actually getting you the ticket is a completely
> different matter.
Wow, that's never happened to us, and believe me we go with the el cheapo
fares always. Do you remember which agent stiffed you?
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Ed
JTB
Ryan Ginstrom
cheapo
> > fares always. Do you remember which agent stiffed you?
>
> JTB
That explains it.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Ed
I'm highly tempted to agree with you. Unfortunately, the fact that airlines
routinely overbook flights leaves me wondering which commuters get stuck
with reservations that they can't get tickets for. Surely you will agree
that they do overbook flights and that not all of those reservations can be
honored. Is it only the JTB customers who get screwed, while HIS customers
get preferential treatment?
But as you say, you always go for the el cheapo flights (me too) and this
has never happened to you, then that is certainly a point in HIS's favor. I
have also gone with HIS on a few flights and have never had any trouble with
them. The reason I like JTB is because they'll give me the ticket in advance
of heading to Narita. HIS expects me to wait until two hours before the
plane leaves before I can sit in line at the HIS booth at Narita in order to
get my ticket. I also like JTB because their prices are competitive with
HIS.
Ryan Ginstrom
>
> "Ryan Ginstrom" <gins...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:besvd4$8jril$1...@ID-101276.news.uni-berlin.de...
> >
> > "Ed" <gwb...@whitehouse.gov> wrote in message
> > news:besr84$4rc$1...@cobalt01.janis.or.jp...
> > >
> > > "Ryan Ginstrom" <gins...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > > Wow, that's never happened to us, and believe me we go with the el
> > cheapo
> > > > fares always. Do you remember which agent stiffed you?
> > >
> > > JTB
> >
> > That explains it.
>
> I'm highly tempted to agree with you. Unfortunately, the fact that
airlines
> routinely overbook flights leaves me wondering which commuters get stuck
> with reservations that they can't get tickets for.
Airliines overbooking and travel agents overbooking are two different
matters. This is just from the American side (I'm not sure how it works in
Japan), but when an airline overbooks they are required to give you priority
for seating on the next available flight, business class if economy is not
available (I don't think they overbook business/first class). They are
required to pay you compensation commensurate with the amount of time you
have to wait, plus still give you the free flight on the next available
plane.
Naturally the schmuck at the counter telling you that you have been bumped
is not going to tell you that you have these rights, so a little
assertiveness is in order.
Of course, this doesn't apply if you lose your seat due to a canx or other
situation out of the airline's control.
I think that travel agencies overbooking would be far less likely. They
normally purchase a block of seats from the airline, and then sell those
seats piecemeal for a hefty markup. But they will only put one body in a
seat; otherwise you are "kyanseru machi," a phrase my family has become
quite familiar with. The problem arises when an airline sells the same block
of seats to two agents, or sells all its seats, then sells a few seats
directly at full price, wagering that they can squeeze them in because not
all agents will be able to sell all their seats.
And if they calculate wrong, who do you think is going to get bumped or
offered a refund: Joe Schmoe who paid 44,000 yen for his ticket, or Brad
Jetset who paid 140,000 yen?
> But as you say, you always go for the el cheapo flights (me too) and this
> has never happened to you, then that is certainly a point in HIS's favor.
I should point out that we were going with another place before 9/11, and
they went under. But no, the only time I have been bumped I was traveling
alone, and it was due to the airline overbooking, not the agency.
> have also gone with HIS on a few flights and have never had any trouble
with
> them. The reason I like JTB is because they'll give me the ticket in
advance
> of heading to Narita. HIS expects me to wait until two hours before the
> plane leaves before I can sit in line at the HIS booth at Narita in order
to
> get my ticket.
That is a hassle. Our other place used to mail us a paper ticket as well.
For domestic flights, we were able to check in electronically at the ANA
counter.
But you should be leary of old-school travel agents who seem to make most of
their money bilking Japanese sheep on group tours.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Hibijibi
> I think that travel agencies overbooking would be far less likely. They
> normally purchase a block of seats from the airline, and then sell those
> seats piecemeal for a hefty markup. But they will only put one body in a
> seat; otherwise you are "kyanseru machi," a phrase my family has become
> quite familiar with. The problem arises when an airline sells the same
block
> of seats to two agents, or sells all its seats, then sells a few seats
> directly at full price, wagering that they can squeeze them in because not
> all agents will be able to sell all their seats.
I might add that many (most?) of these no-shows are actually folks who
bought round-trip tickets when all they needed was a one-way, or some such
unnecessary segment. I used to picture all these poor souls stuck in
traffic jams missing their flights, but that's not the real story I believe.
best
hibijibi
Hibijibi
> I might add that many (most?) of these no-shows are actually folks who
> bought round-trip tickets when all they needed was a one-way, or some such
> unnecessary segment. I used to picture all these poor souls stuck in
> traffic jams missing their flights, but that's not the real story I
believe.
Forgot to mention I've successfully used IACE for some very low fares.
They're in the U.S. (www.iace-usa.com) and Japan (www.iace.co.jp), and also
do some english.
best
hibi
ilbey
If you want in English: http://www.no1-travel.com seems the same company
(HIS) but for foreigners.
Ed
> But you should be leary of old-school travel agents who seem to make most
of
> their money bilking Japanese sheep on group tours.
That's one of my many problems. All I know is that I was very pissed when
they called me up and told me that I wasn't going to get the cheap ticket I
had partially paid for. What should I have done? Gone down there and do my
crazed hairy gaigin performance? Maybe calmly tell them that they had taken
my money for a particular ticket, thus they should give me a better ticket
at the same price?
Ryan Ginstrom
>
> "Ryan Ginstrom" <gins...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:bet3dt$8gibm$1...@ID-101276.news.uni-berlin.de...
> crazed hairy gaigin performance? Maybe calmly tell them that they had
taken
> my money for a particular ticket, thus they should give me a better
ticket
> at the same price?
Personally, I would probably just have demanded a refund and taken my
business elsewhere. If I were more pragmatic, I would have ensured that I
could get a ticket elsewhere first. If I were more idealistic, I probably
would have demanded an isharyou or comps or something.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Michael Cash
<gins...@hotmail.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
I've heard it said that the most interesting thing about an airplane
ride is that you can look around at the other passengers and be sure
that none of you paid the same price.
--
Michael Cash
"There was a time, Mr. Cash, when I believed you must be the most useless
thing in the world. But that was before I read a Microsoft help file."
Prof. Ernest T. Bass
Mount Pilot College
Michael Cash
<gins...@hotmail.com> belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>I think that travel agencies overbooking would be far less likely. They
>normally purchase a block of seats from the airline, and then sell those
>seats piecemeal for a hefty markup. But they will only put one body in a
>seat; otherwise you are "kyanseru machi," a phrase my family has become
>quite familiar with. The problem arises when an airline sells the same block
>of seats to two agents, or sells all its seats, then sells a few seats
>directly at full price, wagering that they can squeeze them in because not
>all agents will be able to sell all their seats.
I remember on one particular flight out of Narita (purchased through
HIS, I believe) I was told by the agent that a seat in the smoking
section was all that was available. I'm not militantly anti-smoke, so
I took it.
During the flight, the air waitress came around through the smoking
section and asked if there was anyone willing to swap seats with a
passenger in the non-smoking who was just dying for a cigarette. I
went and stood by the window while the other passenger sat in my seat
and had a smoke.
It turns out the other passenger had also bought a ticket through a
discount agency like HIS....but had been told that no-smoking was all
that was available.
It would appear that a "block of seats" means precisely that.