Airlines Archives | Tokyo Cheapo

While famous for speed and being on schedule, domestic travel within Japan is (or at least, was) anything but cheap. In the past, there were a few exceptions, but traveling budget usually meant being cocooned into an overnight bus (the curtains are usually sealed shut with Velcro), or being a bit more adventurous with something like the Japan Rail Pass. However, with increased competition among low-cost carriers (LCCs) in Japan, air travel is becoming a viable alternative. When we started this site, tickets on the two big Japanese airlines (JAL and ANA) to the far-flung reaches of Hokkaido and Okinawa would have typically set you back about for a return trip. The good news for travelers is that things have changed: several LCCs operate out of Tokyo’s two airports, slashing those prices. The closer and more convenient Haneda Airport is the Japan base for Skymark, Solaseed Air, Starflyer, and Air Do, while the further-out Narita Airport hosts Vanilla Air, Peach Air, Spring Airlines and Jetstar Japan. Here’s a rundown of the main LCC players that serve Tokyo, and an idea of what you can expect to pay on some of the most popular domestic routes. Jump to: LCCs operating from Haneda Airport LCCs operating from Narita Airport Haneda vs. Narita Prices for popular routes in Japan Low-cost carriers that fly to/from Haneda Airport Skymark Airlines Destinations (minimum one-way prices/no. of daily flights): Sapporo (/10 flights), Kobe (/7 flights), Fukuoka (/11 flights), Kagoshima (/4 flights), Naha (/7 flights). Website bookings in English: Yes. The lowdown: Unlike some of the others, they actually have a comprehensive English website (even though it may look like it was designed in 1998). Solaseed Air Destinations (minimum one-way prices/no. of daily flights): Miyazaki (7 flights), Kumamoto (4 flights), Nagasaki (4 flights), Kagoshima (4 flights), Oita (3 flights), all . Website bookings in English: Yes. The lowdown: Solaseed predominantly links Okinawa and cities in southern Kyushu with Tokyo. They offer a number of special fares, depending on the time of booking, so check which ones apply for your travel times. For foreign tourists, they offer an Enjoy Japan fare that lets you purchase all routes for one way. Air Do Destinations (minimum one-way prices/no. of daily flights): Sapporo (/10 flights), Asahikawa (/3 flights), Memanbetsu (/3 flights), Kushiro (/3 flights), Obihiro (/3 flights), Hakodate (/2 flights). Website bookings in English: Yes. The lowdown: In short, Air Do is the Hokkaido version of Solaseed, flying between Tokyo and the northern part of Japan. StarFlyer Destinations (minimum one-way prices/no. of daily flights): Kitakyushu (/12 flights), Yamaguchi-Ube (/3 flights), Fukuoka (/5 flights), Osaka (/4 flights). Website bookings in English: No. The lowdown: Like some of the other Japanese LCCs, they don’t have booking fully available in English, although they do at least have schedule information available on their one-page English website. They also offer a special fare for foreign tourists, starting from one way. Low-cost carriers that fly to/from Narita Airport Jetstar Japan Destinations (minimum one-way prices/no. of daily flights): Sapporo (/6 flights), Osaka (/4 flights), Fukuoka (/8 flights), Naha, Okinawa (/3 flights), Miyazaki (/2 flights), Kumamoto (/4 flights), Kagoshima (/2 flights), Matsuyama (/2 flights), Nagasaki (/1 flight), Oita (/2 flights), Miyako Island, Okinawa (/1 flight), and Takamatsu (/3 flights), plus international destinations in Australia and Asia. Website bookings in English: Yes. The lowdown: Jetstar Japan run several flights a day to popular destinations across Japan, and in addition leverage their international network to provide low-cost options to foreign tourists. Vanilla Air Destinations (minimum one-way prices/no. of daily flights): Sapporo in Hokkaido (/doesn’t operate daily), Naha (/doesn’t operate daily) and Ishigaki (/1 flight) in Okinawa, Kagoshima Prefecture’s Amami Oshima (/1 flight). Website bookings in English: Yes. The lowdown: While fares vary per season (not to mention, the day and time can also make a difference), simple fares (a basic fare that doesn’t include checked-in luggage) generally start at much less than . Vanilla Air frequently announces promos, so this is a Japanese LCC that you’ll want to keep an eye on. Those promos can start as low as one-way. Peach Air Destinations (minimum one-way prices/no. of daily flights): Sapporo (/6 flights), Fukuoka (/2 flights), and Osaka (/2 flights), Amami (/1 flight) and Okinawa (/2 flights). Website bookings in English: Yes. The lowdown: Kansai-based Peach Airways is another one of those LCCs that have promos every so often. As with Vanilla Air, you can grab some really great deals during promo periods; for instance, there were some deals in June, 2019 to celebrate the airline breaking its 30 million seats sold mark. Unlike the other low cost airlines based at Narita Terminal 3, all Peach flights (confusingly) depart from the arrival hall of Terminal 1. Spring Airlines Japan Destinations (minimum one-way prices/no. of daily flights): Sapporo (/3 flights), Saga (Fukuoka) (/2 flights), Hiroshima (/2 flights). Website bookings in English: Yes. The lowdown: In 2014, Shanghai-based LCC Spring Airlines’ Japanese subsidiary launched its operations. When we checked in June, 2019, flights from Tokyo seemed to start as low as one way. Narita vs. Haneda Airport Given the extra cost to get to out-of-town Narita vs. the more centrally located Haneda, the savings of booking an LCC from Narita Airport can be a lot less than you might expect. For example, when we checked, a return trip from Tokyo to Sapporo on Jetstar, including the costs of rail transport to Narita, cost about , versus about on Air Do from Haneda. That’s a potential saving (not much), but with the hidden cost of a less convenient flight schedule and around 45 minutes of extra travel (to and from Narita) each way. How much it costs to fly from Tokyo to Osaka, and other popular routes in Japan Here's a quick overview of what you can expect to cough up when booking return flights between Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo and Okinawa. While we do our best to ensure it's correct, information is subject to change. Post first written by Greg Lane in 2012. Last updated in September, 2019.

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