Flying Here
Cheap Seats Are Out There
The key to getting cheap fares in Japan is to book tickets on-line EXACTLY 2 months prior to departure at 9:30 a.m. This is when all seats go on sale for all four of the airlines (SkyMark, AirDo, JAL, ANA) flying from Tokyo to Sapporo. All of the airlines except AirDo have English language sites. The cheapest seats will be available at 9:30 a.m. (e.g. for a February 15th flight, one needs to get on-line at 9:30 a.m. on December 15th) and often disappear pretty quickly. However, JAL has broken the mold with its Super Sakitoku fares, which can be reserved over 3 months in advance. They are not as cheap as SkyMark's cheapest fares and they are not available on all of JAL's routes, but they are very attractive where available and give an extra one-month's peace of mind.
SKYMARK AIRLINES IS THE BEST
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They consistently deliver the best fares. Early booking specials go as low as ¥8,800 each way from Haneda to Sapporo and, if they want to be a bit more adventurous, the lowest fares from Ibaraki Airport to Sapporo are ¥5,800 each way (plus a ¥500 bus ride from Tokyo Station to Ibaraki Airport). Even better, SkyMark is launching a new Narita to Sapporo route from mid-November with the cheapest seats going at ¥980 each way. The real trick for getting the cheapest seats on SkyMark is to complete the reservation without paying. The cheap seats can disappear in the time it takes to enter a credit card number, so always press "confirm booking" first, and then go back and pay later. SkyMark allows you until the end of the day to pay, and payment can be done by credit card or, for those who do not have a credit card, payment can be made at a convenience store. They have lots of flights during the day, and so the cheap seats are spread around.
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JAL and ANA Do Compete
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SkyMark flies a lot of small planes. JAL and ANA fly a lot of large planes, so they have many more seats to fill. Register for both the ANA and JAL mileage programs. These are free to register and by being a member, you will have an easier time booking on-line. Make sure to keep a copy of your mileage club number and log-in PIN number handy. The best fares on JAL and ANA are often below ¥12,000 compared to SkyMark's pace setting ¥8,800 Haneda - Sapporo fare. When the absolute cheapest seats disappear, it is always good to look for the next best choice.
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One advantage that JAL and ANA have over SkyMark is that it allows return flight booking to be made for up to two weeks from the departing flight, even if those dates are more than 2 months ahead (SkyMark allows only one-way bookings and that means that the riders need to do the 9:30 a.m. trick again exactly 2 months prior to the return flight).
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HERE COMES PEACH!
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SkyMark may be meeting its match with Peach Aviation coming on line from March 1, 2012. It will initially serve two routes: Fukuoka - Osaka and Osaka - Sapporo. With best fares for each route listed at below ¥4,000 and a SkyMark-beating special introductory fare of ¥250 (!) through March 24, 2012, Peach may become Western Japan's new main-line to Niseko. It just keeps getting easier.
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Use OneWorld and Star Alliance Miles for Free Tickets
JAL is a member of OneWorld and ANA is part of Star Alliance. That means for JAL, you can use miles accrued on American Airlines, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, etc. while on ANA, miles gathered on United Airlines, Lufthansa, Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Asiana and so on can be used to book free tickets on the domestic network carriers. The tickets need to be booked through the airline on which the miles were accrued, but it is easy and tickets can be arranged up to one year in advance! It is best to research which flight you want on the JAL or ANA website before calling your frequent flier program to make the booking. A domestic round trip generally requires 20,000 miles from your affiliate carrier.
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