Mileage Run Discussion - [DEAL GONE] DL/NH/JL: JFK - HND via KIX - $517 ai r/t

Sample Dates: May 17 - May 22. Available throughout May and June.

The return seems to have a layover in SEA.

What site are you booking with?

Sample Dates: May 17 - May 22. Available throughout May and June.

The return seems to have a layover in SEA.

Seeing just over $1K at ITA for the lowest fare on the dates above. Where did you see the $517 RT? Thanks.

vayama

vayama

Seems to work on Vayama for Thursday departures and Mon/Tuesday returns from what i have searched

JFK - SEA - KIX - HND : KIX - HND = NH
HND - KIX - SEA - JFK : HND - KIX = JL

Other dates seem to use UA for a slightly higher price.

It's still there for Delta. Does this trip earn miles?

Also, the one I pulled was $499 but there is a sorta, kinda open jaw at one point where you land at ITM at 12:30 yet depart from KIX at 5:30. I will assume there is a train.

What dates did you find for UA?


JFK - SEA - KIX - HND : KIX - HND = NH
HND - KIX - SEA - JFK : HND - KIX = JL

Other dates seem to use UA for a slightly higher price.

I'm not seeing any UA so far but there seem to be several dates available in the 499-546 range for DL.

NH would credit to UA but how is NH flying SEA-KIX?? They don't fly out of SEA (yet).

-RM

Ah, i see. The, "Other dates seem to use UA for a slightly higher price." was for the KIX/HND leg.

Great fare regardless.

Has anyone successfully booked this? Tried to on Vayama but it wouldn't let me get past the flight selection. :(

Edit: My mistake, was using incorrect dates.

I was still debating with myself whether or not to book. I need to get off my duff and start traveling again, but for personal reasons I have been hesitant. So I didn't go all the way through to the final booking page. Vayama is also where I am searching. Would prefer to book on Delta where I have much voucher to use but I can't (yet?) make the fare come up there.

UPDATE: Yes, I am now on the page where they ask for final payment. Here is the bait and switch. The price has been raised from $499 to...wait for it...$517. I really should go ahead and take this trip but am not sure yet for personal reasons that I will go through it. But I'm definitely well past flight selection...There are lots more dates than just May 17-May 22. If you like a longer trip, I am trying May 24-Jun 5. There are others.

What is total mileage count

Anyone finding anything with a June departure? I am not.

Amazing fare, thank you OP!

OK, final update for the night...whewwwww. We have a winner. Trip is booked!!! Sanity prevailed and I decided I could not really afford the two week trip I was talking about but I have at least grabbed a few days. I got the $517 price and assume I will only earn miles on the DL coded portion, JFK-KIX and back...but it's still a nice chewy chunk.

Have not visited Tokyo before, only Nagoya and Kyoto. Leaving JFK on May 24, Leaving Tokyo on May 29. Will likely spend a couple, three days in NYC on either end of the trip to spend some of that Delta voucher I didn't spend at Vayama. Anyone want to meet up or recommend an airbnb, let me know!!!

Getting excited now. A bit pooped. Will book the positioning flights to NYC later or tomorrow.

Thanks to the OP, you are my hero of the day.

Getting excited now. A bit pooped. Will book the positioning flights to NYC later or tomorrow.
Thanks to the OP, you are my hero of the day.

Doesn't spending money on the positioning flights pretty much negate the savings?

OK, final update for the night...whewwwww. We have a winner. Trip is booked!!! Sanity prevailed and I decided I could not really afford the two week trip I was talking about but I have at least grabbed a few days. I got the $517 price and assume I will only earn miles on the DL coded portion, JFK-KIX and back...but it's still a nice chewy chunk.

Have not visited Tokyo before, only Nagoya and Kyoto. Leaving JFK on May 24, Leaving Tokyo on May 29. Will likely spend a couple, three days in NYC on either end of the trip to spend some of that Delta voucher I didn't spend at Vayama. Anyone want to meet up or recommend an airbnb, let me know!!!

Getting excited now. A bit pooped. Will book the positioning flights to NYC later or tomorrow.

Thanks to the OP, you are my hero of the day.

Seems to be a mistake fare at this price. You might want to make sure it`s ticketed before booking more flights. Great fare

Doesn't spending money on the positioning flights pretty much negate the savings?

You think he'll find something out of MSY that low? In his case, I would just use miles to book the positioning flights: can be cancelled and refunded and domestic awards on DL would cost him $3.

P.S. Final final really final update, my tix are already showing in the system at Delta.com

Also, I have vouchers I should use, and I was thinking to take a trip to NYC anyway, so the positioning flight itself won't cost me anything. I guess the NYC portion of the trip will be somewhat pricey but oh well!

Peachfront ..I've never used Vayama. can it be cancelled . I can't find the fare on DL .. might someone guide me? Thanks for your help

The fare I found is
PERMITTED 26APR 12 THROUGH 31MAY 12 ON THE OUTBOUND
TRANSPACIFIC SECTOR.

Also good from Seattle for $566 (initially shows up as $546). The big V is forgetting something. Should work on similar fares with similar rules and carrier combinations. Wish I had time to research!

So what if I were to fly the JFK-KIX and KIX-JFK legs (segments 1 and 4) on this tix but stay in Osaka and not fly KIX-HND and HND-KIX. Since the carrier is NH and JL on a different alliance for segments 2 and 3, would DL find out about it when I showed up at KIX for segment 4?

Thanks.

So what if I were to fly the JFK-KIX and KIX-JFK legs (segments 1 and 4) on this tix but stay in Osaka and not fly KIX-HND and HND-KIX. Since the carrier is NH and JL on a different alliance for segments 2 and 3, would DL find out about it when I showed up at KIX for segment 4?

Thanks.
Yes, DL would almost certainly find out and cancel your return leg.

Wish I had time to make this work directly from MSP . . .

Doesn't spending money on the positioning flights pretty much negate the savings?

In many cases where one lives in a non-hub city, 5-7CPM is worthy of a trip. Even, if that means the MR or cheap trip we want to take is in the 3-5 CPM range, but the positioning cost is a little steep, it is still worthwhile for us.

I lived in LA for 6 years where my average mileage run was around the low to mid 3 cents, but now I live in PIT, my average MR is 5-6 CPM. It is amazing how the "standard" changes when one has limited vacation and is stuck out of a high priced origin.

Can someone spell out dates they have found on DL???

I cant seem to find anything less then $1500 out of JFK!

UPDATE: Have used Vayama and see May 17 - 21 coming up at $517!

Anyway to book this through delta directly???

Great find. Thanks OP!

I'm seeing if I can make the dates work. I've never been to Japan.

Found it in Vayama. Thanks

My dates are May 24-May 29. I found several others, such as the original May 17-May 21 that was posted. Also found a way to extend the trip into June but decided the cost of hotels might make this a little steep for my humble vacation...

I could not figure out how you would book directly at Delta without calling Delta and asking about their Best Fare Guarantee, which I suspect is in violation of the "Do Not Call the Airline" rule. The price is already decent, so why play around for a $100 guarantee voucher? I booked at Vayama. It popped up at Delta.com almost immediately. I got an email confirming my purchase from Vayama almost right away, and a second email with my ticket, receipt, etc. this morning. $517 is a nice price but it is not "mistake fare" nice, as I have traveled to Japan previously for about the same price or maybe a few pennies less. I'm not seeing anything particularly weird about this deal. For some reason, Japan airfares sometimes go on sale in May. That's when I got my previous deal to Nagoya. So there's probably a seasonal pattern for those who are more "in the know."

I have now purchased my NYC tix using a voucher. I even have $$$ left to spend on another flight. I was thinking to visit NYC anyway. At first, I thought about doing the SAP trip, EWR-SAP for $200, but I looked into EWR and I was worried about ground transportation. JFK appears to have a train so it is more practical for me since I don't rent cars when I'm tired.

I think it will be nice to tick off two major cities off my list, New York and Tokyo, which are pretty big holes in your list if you try to call yourself a traveler. Pitiful to have visited Niagara Falls and other rural destinations in New York yet never to have seen the big city.

If others are doing this run, feel free to let me know. Maybe we can share information, meet up at a club for a drink etc. As a Gold, I think I may have some club room access somewhere along the way. Will be looking into that...

It appears I will earn around 13,000 miles on the JFK-KIX-JFK version. No miles for me on the local legs KIX-HND-KIX. Another 3,300 miles getting back and forth to NY. So as a Gold 32,000 miles picked up for an upcoming project of the approximately 60K I think I will need plus an interesting trip.

Something tells me this is a YQ dump if YQ to NRT is more than $517.
Go ahead and book, though.

This isn't going to show on Delta.com because it involves other non partner airlines.

Best East Coast-Japan fare I've seen in a while (too bad Japan is so freakin' expensive these days!).

The off-peak time between Easter and summer break (late April to early June) seems to be a good window to find oddball int'l airfares. Something to keep in mind when planning vacation time.

Booked for May 24-30 @517 usd

Sorry for being a little late to the game. So this is only good on Delta? I'd love to find something on Star. Anyone have any luck booking other airlines?

Still seems to be out there for May departures only (with some June returns). There is an $850 fare that does not seem to be bookable for June departures. Anyone else have better luck?

So random May weekend booking on vayama is still coming up at $567.36.

There's an airport change from ITM to KIX on the way back from HND. Anyone know how easy it is to transfer from one to the other?

Have not visited Tokyo before, only Nagoya and Kyoto. Leaving JFK on May 24, Leaving Tokyo on May 29. Will likely spend a couple, three days in NYC on either end of the trip to spend some of that Delta voucher I didn't spend at Vayama. Anyone want to meet up or recommend an airbnb, let me know!!!

Getting excited now. A bit pooped. Will book the positioning flights to NYC later or tomorrow.


We did a weekend trip to Tokyo a few months ago - it's a great city for food, and we tend to travel just to eat!

Here's a link to our trip report with lots of photos and suggestions of things to do and places to eat:

http://necessaryindulgences.com/2012/03/tokyo/

Have a great trip!
j.

This isn't going to show on Delta.com because it involves other non partner airlines.

I don't think that's the case. I've had an itinerary with AC/DL/KL metal mixed and AC was the first leg. It showed up on my itinerary page. I currently have a PNR in my itinerary page that has a mix of S* and ST; however, this one's weird as it only shows the ST portion.

What class is the JL portion on?

Still seems to be out there for May departures only (with some June returns). There is an $850 fare that does not seem to be bookable for June departures. Anyone else have better luck?No, tried many combinations NYC-HND with 2-3 day combos of dates between 5/20-31 on vayama, clearfare, farebuzz and cheaptickets all. Prefer S*A but saw the aforementioned DL stuff.

Booked for May 24-30 @517 usdDetails? All the aforementioned DL $517 JFK-KIX-HND?
So random May weekend booking on vayama is still coming up at $567.36.Details?

Details, people.

We went to Japan last year when Delta have promotion with double miles from LAX for around $560. You will love Japan. People are so nice and sweet. If you plan to visit to different cities in Japan please take a look at the Shingunsen rail pass. It will save you a lot of money. Enjoy your trip. I have been to Japan 6 times and I can't wait to go back there again.

Seems to be a mistake fare at this price. You might want to make sure it`s ticketed before booking more flights. Great fare

Last April there was a DL T-class fare from NYC to Tokyo for $420. Sadly, I had to cancel within the 24-hour window . . .

No, tried many combinations NYC-HND with 2-3 day combos of dates between 5/20-31 on vayama, clearfare, farebuzz and cheaptickets all. Prefer S*A but saw the aforementioned DL stuff.

Look at Memorial Day weekend.

What class is the JL portion on?

Considering how short the JL leg is, does it matter...?

But to humor you :p I tried looking at my JAL record - didn't see the booking code for that... Hmmm.

Looked and looked at vayama. Cannot find anything less than over 1000.
It was great fare RIP

Looked and looked at vayama. Cannot find anything less than over 1000.
It was great fare RIP

Still there

Looked and looked at vayama. Cannot find anything less than over 1000.
It was great fare RIP

May 31 - June 5 is still showing.

May 30 - June 4 is showing as well.

JFK-KIX, ITM-HND
HND-KIX-JFK

HNL also available for $661.

Nowhere near as good, but many dates and still $400 less than others.


UPDATE: reprices at $850 ea sorry jumped the gun

Maybe the YQ was left out?

May 31 - June 5 is still showing.

Booked. Anyone else going at this time?

Not showing on Delta.com in my profile; Others have commented on almost immediate posting...

Maybe the YQ was left out?

I think it's a mistake fare, but maybe vayama is dumping the YQ by not plugging it into the fare.

I replicated the itinerary on ITA by forcing the layover in KIX, but the YQ doesn't lower, the base fare does. If you do take out the YQ, it would equal the same price that vayama is showing.

And whoever asked what class fare JAL was, its in G. The ANA flight is in H.

OMG, Necessary Indulgences, that is a page to knock my socks off! What a great photographer you are! I'm really getting excited now.

Yes, my tickets appeared in my delta.com "my itineraries" almost immediately. It even knew that I was Gold Elite, whereas, when I booked what I would consider a fuel dump last fall, booked at KLM.com, the itinerary did appear pretty quick at delta.com but for some reason it was not putting me as a Gold Elite until I showed up at check in time. At that time, they figured it out and I got upgraded to EC, lounge access, etcetera. I really don't see this one as a mistake fare or a fuel dump, just a good price. But that's my humble opinion. I guess if for some whackadoo reason the ticket is canceled, and if I feel it's too pricey for me to stay in NYC for that long, I can spend a few days in Atlantic City, assuming there's anyone left...just not gonna stress about it.

I was able to find it via confirmation code and I think I see the issue - it attached "Mr" to my name. How can I correct this? Don't want to call the airline and alert them.

Also, it won't let me select seats. :-/

Yah, when I did the KLM run in November, the computer attached "Mr" to my name causing much angst since I am rather clearly female but no one cared. This time it attached "Ms" to my name so it at least has the gender right. It can't be a problem or no one would fly Delta at all since this happens constantly. Don't worry, Michael, I think it will be fine.

The seat picking thing you will just have to deal with by trial and error and much swearing. I finally got it working for this trip. For the November trip, it wasn't really fixed until I presented myself at the check in desk and said, "I really can't tolerate being closed in and need aisle seats." If you get the error code, go away and try again later is all I can tell you...sometimes it fixes itself randomly. The error has to be on Delta's end, since we are seeing the same issue with booking through vayama and KLM, presumably unrelated websites. Maybe other websites too? Speak up and tell if you know something, people!

The seat picking thing you will just have to deal with by trial and error and much swearing. I finally got it working for this trip. For the November trip, it wasn't really fixed until I presented myself at the check in desk and said, "I really can't tolerate being closed in and need aisle seats."

Yikes. I was hoping to snag some EC seats. I've read the EC thread and debate whether or not they're even worth it...(thoughts?) I'd like to at least secure a window though...

Thank you Guys! Booked

When it's working, actually sometimes even when it is not working, the delta.com seat picker will pop up with the correct price for your status for the EC seats. However, if you never get it to work, and you have to do it at walk-up, then (knock on wood) I was NOT charged as a Gold by KLM for getting an EC seat at the last minute. The woman next to me was not charged either. I didn't understand her English well enough to know if she was Gold or Silver but she seemed to be saying that she was not high status, and she was VERY surprised to get the EC seat. KLM metal is not DL metal, and nothing is ever guaranteed with if you don't book in advance, but you might still have a chance at check-in time? The website has been really flakey. Even booking my seats for MSY-NYC with all booking done strictly through Delta.com and no weird connects or international flights...I still had to try a couple, three times before my seat choices "stuck."


Yikes. I was hoping to snag some EC seats. I've read the EC thread and debate whether or not they're even worth it...(thoughts?) I'd like to at least secure a window though...

thanks OP! booked and itinerary is up on delta immediately.

Look at Memorial Day weekend.

To provide some details, here is a screenshot from My Delta page which shows the flight. I purchased this itinerary through vayama yesterday, and it showed up immediately in My Trips on Delta.com. The ticket was purchased for $517.36. The Delta portion of the flights (JFK-SEA-KIX-SEA-JFK) are T fares, while the All Nippon Airways is an H fare, and Japan Air is booked in G. The MQM pulled from this flight for Delta is 14922 at a CPM of $0.035 each. There are miles to be had from the Osaka-Tokyo legs but not with Skyteam.

http://jmoore2333.centelia.net/ft/dal1.jpg

http://jmoore2333.centelia.net/ft/dal2.jpg

This is my first post here, but long time reader. Thought this was finally something worth sharing. If anyone else is booked for that memorial day weekend, drop me a line.

Which Farecode is it? TRXDLSL?

Which Farecode is it? TRXDLSL?

The farecode for each flight is TRXNYSL.

I am NOT happy with Vayama right now.... ;-)

I can't find the fare on the matrix

Got the dreaded email from vayama. BOOOOOO!!!

Got the dreaded email from vayama. BOOOOOO!!!

sheeesh! when it rains, it pours.

To provide some details... If anyone else is booked for that memorial day weekend, drop me a line.
I'm booked on those flights leaving NYC 5/24 Returning 5/28. It'll be good to have some flyertalkers on the flight -- Everyone else would think we are crazy!... Has anyone figured out their hotel accomodations yet?

Here are my seats:
nyc-sea 24f
sea-kix 26G
kix-sea 27F
sea-NYC 23F

Anyone know if there is a Skyteam or Delta lounge that we can use in Osaka?

Got the dreaded email from vayama. BOOOOOO!!!

Has Vayama cancelled the ticket:confused:

OK, final update for the night...whewwwww. We have a winner. Trip is booked!!! Sanity prevailed and I decided I could not really afford the two week trip I was talking about but I have at least grabbed a few days. I got the $517 price and assume I will only earn miles on the DL coded portion, JFK-KIX and back...but it's still a nice chewy chunk.

Have not visited Tokyo before, only Nagoya and Kyoto. Leaving JFK on May 24, Leaving Tokyo on May 29. Will likely spend a couple, three days in NYC on either end of the trip to spend some of that Delta voucher I didn't spend at Vayama. Anyone want to meet up or recommend an airbnb, let me know!!!

Getting excited now. A bit pooped. Will book the positioning flights to NYC later or tomorrow.

Thanks to the OP, you are my hero of the day.

Sign up for a United account and have the NH flights credited there. Same goes if you chose any JAL segments credit them to AAdvantage or other Oneworld carriers.

Has Vayama cancelled the ticket:confused:

Just Received the following Email.....


Dear Vayama Customer ,

We recently received your online booking request. Quality control has determined that your booking could not be processed at the fare that was originally quoted. Unfortunately, the airline was unable to accept the fare that was quoted earlier and as a result, your reservation has been canceled. Per our terms and conditions, airfares and reservations are not guaranteed until tickets are issued.

We encourage you to select another option that meets your travel needs. However, do not select the same flight option that you just attempted to book as this will just lead to another canceled booking. If you have any questions please feel free to respond to this email and we will get back to you generally within 24 hours.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Sincerely,


Vayama Customer Care Team

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________


Well I'm totally bummed....

Vay has been very naughty this week.

What recourse do we have if we've already booked other arrangements? What constitutes ticketed?

Michael, you are ticketed if you got the SECOND email from Vayama called, Vayama Ticket Confirmation/Receipt‏.

Michael, you are ticketed if you got the SECOND email from Vayama called, Vayama Ticket Confirmation/Receipt‏.

Woohoo!! Thanks. :-)

Thanks for sharing this... I had found seats from 5/31-6/4 and was going to pull the trigger but guess I won't now.

Just Received the following Email.....


Dear Vayama Customer ,

We recently received your online booking request. Quality control has determined that your booking could not be processed at the fare that was originally quoted. Unfortunately, the airline was unable to accept the fare that was quoted earlier and as a result, your reservation has been canceled. Per our terms and conditions, airfares and reservations are not guaranteed until tickets are issued.

We encourage you to select another option that meets your travel needs. However, do not select the same flight option that you just attempted to book as this will just lead to another canceled booking. If you have any questions please feel free to respond to this email and we will get back to you generally within 24 hours.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Sincerely,


Vayama Customer Care Team

__________________________________________________ _____________________________________


Well I'm totally bummed....

Vay has been very naughty this week.

Here here! (or is it "hear hear"?!:D)
Vayama.com is shady!!!!
For entertainment purposes, y'all could check out what they're doing in the other thread for the RGN-USA passengers..... :td:

I've never had a cancellation with vay in the past, but now they seem to be changing. This year have had 2 trips with them of similar nature with no problems. Maybe it's just the RGN MR that vay has been on tippy toes...I guess this MR just came out at the wrong time.

I can't even figure out how to price this on vayama, since they only let you do 3 cities in their multicity

Thanks for sharing this... I had found seats from 5/31-6/4 and was going to pull the trigger but guess I won't now.

Reservation Status: TICKETED

Your reservation is complete and was ticketed. Your credit card has been successfully charged and you are ready to go!

So some of these are going though!

I didn't do multi-city. Just JFK-HND and it came up. $517.36. Awesome.

If u used vayama, dont be too sure yet.

They pulled back a whole bunch of ticketed reservations in the other thread.
Tickets were issued, CCs were charged and reservation got cancelled.

Reservation Status: TICKETED

Your reservation is complete and was ticketed. Your credit card has been successfully charged and you are ready to go!

So some of these are going though!

If u used vayama, dont be too sure yet.

They pulled back a whole bunch of ticketed reservations in the other thread.
Tickets were issued, CCs were charged and reservation got cancelled.

What's a reasonable amount of time to expect to be in the clear? What's the recourse if they cancel the ticket? Feels slimy that they would ticket it then cancel... I am purchasing other flights and bidding on hotels based on this ticket. :-/

The cancellation emails make no sense as the fare remains available. You would think if the big V knew about this they would have killed it wouldn't you? Also I really can't see the big V having a major leg to stand on here as we've seen $600 fares to Japan before unlike the F ticket in the other thread.
Cheers
Howie

[/B]
I'm booked on those flights leaving NYC 5/24 Returning 5/28. It'll be good to have some flyertalkers on the flight -- Everyone else would think we are crazy!... Has anyone figured out their hotel accomodations yet?

Here are my seats:
nyc-sea 24f
sea-kix 26G
kix-sea 27F
sea-NYC 23F

Anyone know if there is a Skyteam or Delta lounge that we can use in Osaka?

Delta.com's SkyClub section shows these:

Osaka, Japan Landside - Level 3 Korean Airlines
Osaka, Japan North Gate, near gates 10 and 11 Asuka Lounge

Dont know.
All i can say is what i have experienced with Vayama.
Gave me a confirmed ticket, charged my card and cancelled the reservation and said "Too Bad".

If I were u, I would hold off purchasing other items until after u are sure Vayama isnt going to pull up on the deal.



What's a reasonable amount of time to expect to be in the clear? What's the recourse if they cancel the ticket? Feels slimy that they would ticket it then cancel... I am purchasing other flights and bidding on hotels based on this ticket. :-/

Dont know.
All i can say is what i have experienced with Vayama.
Gave me a confirmed ticket, charged my card and cancelled the reservation and said "Too Bad".

If I were u, I would hold off purchasing other items until after u are sure Vayama isnt going to pull up on the deal.

Yikes. How long after was this? Most of the ticket cancels in the Myanmar thread appear to be within 48 hours. I'll wait another day or two before booking anything extra just to be sure I'm in the clear...

I guess I definitely am stuck without seats then. When others were mentioning that this is just a good deal vs mistake fare I considered calling DL to get seat assignments. Guess it's a good thing I held off!

With V cancelling these bookings it makes you wonder the number of people who booked, simply due to the lack of a benefit for them to cancel. Possibly DL has a say here in what happened.

Can ticket be issued without validation? It's not like someone is sitting with a paper stock and issuing tickets. The system will not price a ticket unless its properly validated. If Vayama issued tickets without proper validation, it should eat that mistake.

Can ticket be issued without validation? It's not like someone is sitting with a paper stock and issuing tickets. The system will not price a ticket unless its properly validated. If Vayama issued tickets without proper validation, it should eat that mistake.

I guess what you're saying makes sense, but I think that the issue is that the system processes things first, and then maybe is glanced at before being confirmed. I don't know if anyone actually looks at the booking before it is ticketed.

When people are arguing that their reservation is ticketed and that they should get it due to the contract, in theory they are right. Not sure if they are going to win the argument, but the potential consequence might be a revamping of the entire booking system. This could mean anything from an actual person looking it over to check for a potential error, or several people looking it over. This will mean no more FDing and probably a lot less mistake fares or none at all. Further, it would mean a lot longer wait to get a flight ticketed via a website. It seems the issue is that the whole process has become too automated and people are frustrated because of it.

Take away lesson here is: AVOID Vayama. Yea I'm acting tough on the internet, so what! I'll give them a Bahston beat down.

I wouldn't be so hard on Vayama. It was a crap shoot booking it this as with all mistake fares and it clearly was a mistake fare. You make the reservation and hope that the airline/travel agent will decide to honor it. Yes I really really wanted to spend my Memorial Day Weekend in Japan but now I get to spend it on the beautiful beaches of New York.... :(

i wonder if someone booked the ITM itinerary, vay would let it go through...

Hey guys,0
I also book the flight from May 24 to May 29th.
Vayama also said my reservation status is "Ticketed", let see what they going to do about it. Hope they don't cancel it becasue is kind of my wife and I honeymoon.

A great many people apparently booked the outgoing May 24 date of departure all at once. To me, it is clearly NOT a mistake fare, as I have traveled at this time of year to Japan on this price before. Is it possible that the mistake is that too many people all bought tickets for the same day, more people than there are actually seats available? I still have my seats, knock on wood.

I just don't get the mistake fare argument when, many times over the years, including last year, and going back at least to May 2005, there are many ticket sales in this price range from the U.S. to Japan in May and June. Clearly a seasonal event, if you ask me. Even my folks got one of these sales all the way through to Nagasaki one time, and they are not sophisticated frequent travelers. They didn't even collect their miles for their flight, and it was a double or triple mile (I forget which) promotion...argh!!!!!

The RGN is a different kettle of fish. Yes, that's somebody made a huge screw-up, and you don't necessarily expect it to be honored.

I am getting good prices to come up for end of June and end of July from SEA. $547 - $633. However, when I go to book it is says
"Sorry, vayama could not confirm your itinerary with the airline(s).
We attempted to verify that seats in the booking class associated with the fare quoted were still available on each flight of your selected itinerary. However, due to changes in booking class availability by the airlines, the itinerary at this price is no longer available. Please note that other itineraries displayed below may still be available, so please select a different option."

Does this mean I am too late to the party?

The MQM pulled from this flight for Delta is 14922 at a CPM of $0.035 each. There are miles to be had from the Osaka-Tokyo legs but not with Skyteam.

So we get the full MQMs despite the single flight number JFK-SEA-KIX? (Maybe I'm getting mixed up with what UA does/used to do. So much FT floating around my brain...)

As is noted in the MR Forum sticky (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mileage-run-deals/454485-welcome-mileage-run-forum-important-information-how-mr-forums-work.html) please reserve all FD questions for that thread in the MR Discussion forum.

Thank you.

tcook052
MR Moderator

I wondered about that too. I suspect not. My guestimate was more like 13,890 miles or so but I've been wrong before and will be wrong again...There is a place at Delta.com which shows this information but I have forgotten where it is.

So we get the full MQMs despite the single flight number JFK-SEA-KIX? (Maybe I'm getting mixed up with what UA does/used to do. So much FT floating around my brain...)

Sign up for a United account and have the NH flights credited there. Same goes if you chose any JAL segments credit them to AAdvantage or other Oneworld carriers.

JAL in G appears to earn nothing with an AA ff # since it's a domestic hop HND-KIX: Earning Miles on JAL (http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/earnMiles/travel/airlines/japan.jsp)

JAL in G is not detailed specifically on QF's Earning Miles on JAL page (http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/partners/airline/japan-airlines), so don't know if there's a point to that.

We should get 25% miles if using a BA number - hey, it'll extend the life of the BA miles, right? :) Earn BA Miles on OneWorld Airline Partners (http://www.britishairways.com/travel/collect-avios-oneworld/public/en_us)

ANA in H appears to earn 70% with a (COdba)UA ff#: Earn Miles on ANA (http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/marketing/custcomm/promotions/Pages/AirlinePartnerDetails.aspx?ItemId=299) (Same as US (http://www.usairways.com/en-US/dividendmiles/earnmiles/staralliance_ana.html))

Well. Enough of that... :)

Def. still see this active - 5/31-6/6

Just booked for 5/31 -6/5. Showed right up on delta.com but not ticketed yet so we'll see... Thought about it for a couple days but decided to pull the trigger.

One thing I thought of is that since the flight is direct from JFK to KIX, albeit with a change of planes (same flight #), the mileage will be as if you flew nonstop JFK to KIX and not JFK-SEA-KIX. So it comes to 13,860 RT instead of 14,880. Loss of about 1000 miles. Just thought I'd mention that.

Thanks to the OP!

13,860 miles, then? Thanks. I'll fix my notes.

I think most folks went for the Memorial Day weekend dates but if anyone is actually on the ground in Tokyo on May 21, don't forget the eclipse:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120504f2.html

Some one on flyertalk gave me an EXCELLENT recommend for a hostel in Kyoto that I used on my first trip. I wonder if there is anything of that quality in Tyokyo...seems like there must be. The one in Kyoto was K's House.

As a Canadian, I got doubly burned when Vayama rejected the booking. They had already charged my card, and didn't void the transaction, so they will presumably now issue a refund, meaning I'll get dinged 2.5% forex on both the purchase and the refund, costing me about $60 for two tickets that I was never issued in the first place.

:td:

Just got the dreaded email from V. Booking rejected by the airline. For reference, I booked connected through KIX on the outbound, but ITM-KIX on the way back.

Has anyone been succesful with this one recently? Could be dead, but I might try again tonight and see if persistence pays off haha

As a Canadian, I got doubly burned when Vayama rejected the booking. They had already charged my card, and didn't void the transaction, so they will presumably now issue a refund, meaning I'll get dinged 2.5% forex on both the purchase and the refund, costing me about $60 for two tickets that I was never issued in the first place.

:td:

If you dispute the claim and cite the cancellation email, your credit card company might reimburse you for the tax incurred. It's worked for me when I purchased from a Euro based OTA and got charged foreign transaction fee when the company cancelled my booking.

Do you arrange your own transfer between KIX and ITM or does one of the airlines provide that?

Do you arrange your own transfer between KIX and ITM or does one of the airlines provide that?

You would need to get yourself from ITM to KIX or vice versa. Cheaper at least than NRT to HND which I have done.

You would need to get yourself from ITM to KIX or vice versa. Cheaper at least than NRT to HND which I have done.

Thanks. I know how to get to KIX from ITM or vice versa. Just wondered. BA includes a free transfer between LGW and LHR and DL, I am told provides free transfer between LGA and JFK. That;s why I wondered.

Wow, if this deal is for real, there will be lots of FTers in HND later this month. I wish I could do something like this for JFK.

One of my friends is thinking of coming down here with this deal despite the fact it's DL :)

Should you have any questions or need suggestions for Tokyo, you can private message me.

Hope your ticket is valid and happy travels!

If you dispute the claim and cite the cancellation email, your credit card company might reimburse you for the tax incurred. It's worked for me when I purchased from a Euro based OTA and got charged foreign transaction fee when the company cancelled my booking.

Thanks, I will definitely try that. FWIW, and I guess because I'm a glutton for punishment, I tried another booking, coming back a day later (May 31 -> June 11), and this time it went through, at least to the extent that I got a Ticket Confirmed & Receipt email this time.

So deal appears to be still alive as of today for some dates (assuming of course Vayama doesn't reverse ticketed flights as they have elsewhere).

Just got the dreaded email from V. Booking rejected by the airline. For reference, I booked connected through KIX on the outbound, but ITM-KIX on the way back.

Has anyone been succesful with this one recently? Could be dead, but I might try again tonight and see if persistence pays off haha

Why does it take Vayama so long? It's about 15 hours between your two postings. It takes Vyayam that long to decide that the offered fare is bogus? Why does Vyama continue to offer the bogus fare if it's not acceptable to the airline?
I too made a booking to see what happens. Sure enough, around 15 hour mark, I got the same e-mail from Vyama. What 's going on? Are they so incompetent that they continue to advertise a fare even when the know it will not be accepted by the airline? Vayama is abusing the portion that the "fare is not guaranteed until it's ticketed". They offer a contract when they quote a fare, you accept the offer of contract by making a payment. Unless they are unable to receive a payment, the contract is done. This was not an itinerary that we made up segment by segment. Vyama made this itinerary up. Whatever system they are using should be able to put together validated itineraries. If the problem occurred at DL's end, why did Vyama continue to offer the fare?
I was not totally sold on the fare because JFK is a four hour drive with lots of tolls along the way, plus cost of a hotel of I use a train or bus. It's OK if a fare is pulled. But why continue to offer it for a week even after they know they cannot honour it/ That makes me angry even though the trip would require a monumental effrot to go to and from the airport. JFK is too far to drive and park and too close to fly with miles or cash.
Thanks, I will definitely try that. FWIW, and I guess because I'm a glutton for punishment, I tried another booking, coming back a day later (May 31 -> June 11), and this time it went through, at least to the extent that I got a Ticket Confirmed & Receipt email this time.

So deal appears to be still alive as of today for some dates (assuming of course Vayama doesn't reverse ticketed flights as they have elsewhere).
I thought I would try it again. But the fare is not offered now.

Why does it take Vayama so long? It's about 15 hours between your two postings. It takes Vyayam that long to decide that the offered fare is bogus? Why does Vyama continue to offer the bogus fare if it's not acceptable to the airline?

You're right on. I checked the emails when I got one and it was 14 hours. I tried again earlier today, and they canceled it six hours later. Maybe I'll try again with different dates.

Thanks, I will definitely try that. FWIW, and I guess because I'm a glutton for punishment, I tried another booking, coming back a day later (May 31 -> June 11), and this time it went through, at least to the extent that I got a Ticket Confirmed & Receipt email this time.

So deal appears to be still alive as of today for some dates (assuming of course Vayama doesn't reverse ticketed flights as they have elsewhere).

Hope that works out! Looks like the deal is officially dead now. Can't bring up the price anymore so they finally got around to changing it haha

Hope that works out! Looks like the deal is officially dead now. Can't bring up the price anymore so they finally got around to changing it haha

I too tried it. The itinerary still shows on DL under "My Trips".

.. was expecting a rejection email from vayama.. but a confirmation came instead. I am going from 17th may to june 5th! Excited.. anyone else going to be in Japan during this timeframe? I'm traveling by myself. This was certainly a great fare!
Cheers!

.. was expecting a rejection email from vayama.. but a confirmation came instead. I am going from 17th may to june 5th! Excited.. anyone else going to be in Japan during this timeframe? I'm traveling by myself. This was certainly a great fare!
Cheers!

That's awesome.^ I didn't book this one because some people started getting a rejection email (and I really couldn't get time off from work). Have a great time in Japan!!!

.. was expecting a rejection email from vayama.. but a confirmation came instead. I am going from 17th may to june 5th! Excited.. anyone else going to be in Japan during this timeframe? I'm traveling by myself. This was certainly a great fare!
Cheers!

Will be there from the 31 - 5.

Will be there from the 31 - 5.

That's exactly what I tried to book twice! haha This deal seemed almost random what got ticketed and what didn't. Enjoy Japan everyone who is going on this deal!

That's exactly what I tried to book twice! haha This deal seemed almost random what got ticketed and what didn't. Enjoy Japan everyone who is going on this deal!

I booked Wednesday before last when this first came out... could be it.

where is this fare? how come i cant find it!!!

This particular deal is sold out and to my knowledge there have not been any more tickets that went through for over a week. Sorry. Note: One person has just got the fare BUT that person picked a substantially longer trip, instead of one of the less than a week turnarounds.

If I were you, I would search again in late April/early May for mid May to mid June flights to Japan next year, as similar deals seem to recur over the years at the time. It will be my second visit to Japan one of these great fares in May, although only my first to Tokyo. You could also try reviewing the trick it thread, if you can stand the ego and the posturings, since there are sometimes good fares posted there. Happy hunting! Deals to Japan just don't seem to be that rare, but they do come and go, which can frustrate people.

I land on the 25th so I'll be there May 26, 27, 28, fly out on the 29th. If tide and weather permit, I hope to visit the mudflats near HND to study the Japanese birds, and in general I plan to do more outdoor stuff like gardens, shrines, etc. but if there are any events or get-togethers planned of more general interest to flyertalkers, let me know! I believe there will be a number of people there for the Memorial Day weekend but I don't know how easy it will be to find each other or settle on a common interest or place to meet.

I was VERY tempted to grab one of the longer trips but I've got to economize somewhere so I decided on this shorter trip. Should still be quite amazing.


.. was expecting a rejection email from vayama.. but a confirmation came instead. I am going from 17th may to june 5th! Excited.. anyone else going to be in Japan during this timeframe? I'm traveling by myself. This was certainly a great fare!
Cheers!

How are you guys booking this? The cheapest I get is $1500

How are you guys booking this? The cheapest I get is $1500

Fare is gone :(

This deal is dead but I think you can do better than $1500? Isn't Delta still offering a sale to Japan? I'm getting a number of dates for $1300 all in from MSY...around $1239 for many dates from JFK. No, not the rock bottom price but still beats $1500. Hubby always threatens to write a PERL script to check ITA etc. for cheap tickets quickly but I have him assigned to another project and don't want him distracted, so I have to "brute force" my searches and I do miss some sales. Got lucky this time...knock on wood!

I booked Wednesday before last when this first came out... could be it.

Ahh, yeah I suppose me waiting before making a decision to book didn't help things.

There's a LAX-NRT for $840+ RT via SQ on an A380 if you're interested. Dates include this week of May with returns in June

but if there are any events or get-togethers planned of more general interest to flyertalkers, let me know! I believe there will be a number of people there for the Memorial Day weekend but I don't know how easy it will be to find each other or settle on a common interest or place to meet.

I can probably set up a get together place for casual Japanesy dinner on Saturday, the 26th or something if you are interested. I am not bad at giving you guys directions so I am sure you can find the place. Let me know. :)

Yes, the 26th would be good for me. Staying in Shinjuku area. Anyone else???

June 15 to 19

It appears I will earn around 13,000 miles on the JFK-KIX-JFK version. No miles for me on the local legs KIX-HND-KIX. Another 3,300 miles getting back and forth to NY. So as a Gold 32,000 miles picked up for an upcoming project of the approximately 60K I think I will need plus an interesting trip.

NW/DELTA has had a deal for a couple years now where you can get 500 bonus miles for any domestic Japan flight.

You need to fax a form (http://www.delta.com/skymiles/ways_to_get_miles/earning_miles_partners/airline_partners/airline_lto/japan500_bonus/index.jsp)

I have used to to double dip, and claim 150 (big wow) on ANA and 500 on Delta.

It appears I will earn around 13,000 miles on the JFK-KIX-JFK version. No miles for me on the local legs KIX-HND-KIX. Another 3,300 miles getting back and forth to NY. So as a Gold 32,000 miles picked up for an upcoming project of the approximately 60K I think I will need plus an interesting trip.

NW/DELTA has had a deal for a couple years now where you can get 500 bonus miles for any domestic Japan flight.

You need to fax a form (http://www.delta.com/skymiles/ways_to_get_miles/earning_miles_partners/airline_partners/airline_lto/japan500_bonus/index.jsp)

Thanks. The fine print says you need to have a Japanese mailing address but I'll try it anyway and report back if they give me the mileage credit. Worth a try, right? :-)

Wishing a safe trip to those who managed to get the tickets.

I did get the dreaded e-mail declining to issue the ticket, but it turns out vayam did charge my credit card and did not refund it until the 14th. I had checked my credit card statement on line on the 7th around noon, after I made the booking around 1:00 a.m. on the 7th, but there was no charge. Soon after that the dreaded e-mail came around 4:00 p.m. I had meant to check my statement again, but forgot.
Today, I found out that the charge appeared on my statement on the 8th, affter Vayama had already decided not to issue the ticket and the refund was not issued until the 14th. This is really bad.
Has anyone else had their credit card charged?

I can probably set up a get together place for casual Japanesy dinner on Saturday, the 26th or something if you are interested. I am not bad at giving you guys directions so I am sure you can find the place. Let me know. :)

I spoke with peachfront today. Sounds like we're doing Sunday the 27th dinner... Who else is joining us?! :)

How about a small-ish FTer dinner either Tuesday or Wednesday (the 22nd or 23rd)? Either in Queens or Manhattan...?

I've got some reasonably-priced places in mind; 3 or 4 options in Queens (Indian, Thai, Mexican (not Tex-Mex)) or one of my favorite seafood restaurants which is on the Upper West Side with a well-priced 3-course prix fixe menu if dining early (seated and ordered by 6:15pm).

Also, regarding DL upgrades: I tried calling in to get myself on the list for the JFK-SEA leg to no avail. She said she couldn't do it because it wasn't booked through Delta...?! This is bad if so... (Worse for the non-Diamonds, but still.)

I just looked over my reservation and I see you are right -- no upgrades requested for this trip. But I don't think using the outside booking agency is the reason for not being on the upgrade list. I've been added to the upgrade list before after being ticketed elsewhere. I think the reason is because it is written up as DL 183 JFK-KIX, instead of having a separate flight number for the JFK-SEA portion. As a diamond, it might be worth calling another time to see if you get a better answer. As a gold, I will just look sad and ask when I arrive at the airport if there is any chance but I won't count on too much.

Anyone else who has these travel dates, don't forget to let us know about dinner on Tuesday or Wednesday! :cool:

For those who have to do the transfer from ITM to KIX ... how are you all doing it ... details appreciated. Thanks

For those who have to do the transfer from ITM to KIX ... how are you all doing it ... details appreciated. Thanks

There is the shuttle bus leaving for KIX. Right in front of the baggage claim. You buy the ticket from the vending machine and line up for the bus stop 7C which you can find in the map at the bottom of this page.
http://www.okkbus.co.jp/en/timetable/itm/t_kix.html

There is the shuttle bus leaving for KIX. Right in front of the baggage claim. You buy the ticket from the vending machine and line up for the bus stop 7C which you can find in the map at the bottom of this page.
http://www.okkbus.co.jp/en/timetable/itm/t_kix.html

Thank you!

For those who have to do the transfer from ITM to KIX ... how are you all doing it ... details appreciated. Thanks

This link is also helpful. I'm doing the transfer later this month:

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/access/bus/index.html

Any updates from those who took this trip?

I just got back from a short 5 day trip using this Vayama deal. Had an amazing time! As my fiancé and I are Delta Gold Medallion, I tried calling Delta a couple days before to get on the mileage upgrade list. After being put on hold, I found out that Vayama booked tix as NYC >HND so I'm order to upgrade the JFK > SEA leg, I would have to get Vayama to redo the ticket as separate legs. Needless to say, I did not want to mess with my booking and risk cancelation so i told the agent I was fine with ticket as is. I did receive an email from Vayama that day stating "there has been a change to your flight" but all info was the same so I think Delta messing with the reservation got sent to Vayama somehow.

We left on May 25. We were not able to go to the Sky Club as Delta Gold Medallion from NYC as we were going to Seattle first. We did not check Sky Club in Seattle as we were trying to get food for the long flight. The good news is that this flight to Osaka is very empty... Everyone on board was able to get a 2 seat or 3 seat row to themselves. We slept so well being able to lie down. We then had to get our luggage and go through Japan customs. Then we went to the ANA departure desk to check in for our short 1 hr flight to Tokyo. When checking in, we were able to change our flight to an earlier one so we got into HND by about 8pm (about 2hrs earlier than our scheduled flight). I checked into my Japan Airlines flight and was able to get luggage sent though to JFK. I had a 6 hr layover in KIX as my HND > KIX flight arrived at 11:30 am and International flight was not until 5:30pm. At International check-in, I saw that Delta check-in for the KIX > SEA leg did not begin until 3pm. Luckily KIX has free wifi and lots of food options. KIX >SEA was pretty empty also so got to sleep again. In SEA, have to go through Immigration, get luggage, go through US Customs and then recheck luggage. All this was extremely fast and efficient. I think it took about 20-30 mins total. No lines as there would have been at JFK. Long day of flying but worth it for the price paid. Also my Delta miles earned has already been posted and I just got back a couple hrs ago :) Almost 14k miles total.

Thanks! Looks like today's SEA-KIX flight is pretty full. :-/

Edit: Boy was I wrong. Full three seats to myself.

I'm back. May 24-May 29 were my dates. I stumbled into every club I happened to pass by, and I don't think I was turned down as a Delta Gold. My liver is not too happy but otherwise the trip was a great success. Plenty of room on those flights, esp. May 24 so I don't understand why so many tix departing May 24 got cxl'd. Seems like a little money would be better than no money but what do I understand about airline economics? I will admit that I got scared of Vayama when I heard of all the other folks getting cxl'd but my experience is great and I will use them again.

Also, my ticket was changed or booked so that I had no need to change airports in Osaka, however, I did have a VERY long layover there.

In Osaka now. Moved to an earlier flight so I won't have a long layover. Only downside is that I'm in a middle seat on the way to Tokyo. Who did you speak to that changed your ticket?

I didn't speak to anyone. I think it came that way from Vayama, and I just got confused because when I was first searching to buy my tickets, all or many of the returns had to change airports at Osaka so I assumed that's what I would need to do. Two guys who went home the day before I did, I'm pretty sure both of them had to change airports. However, when I got to Osaka the next day, they told me to just come back to the same place in a couple/three hours. I fell asleep on some couches! Finally, they opened the ticket booth and I got a boarding pass so I could pass through security and visit the "Asuka" club which allows Delta Golds to visit...or at least they allowed me. There were also people there from United etc. so I am not sure if I was allowed in according to the rules or just got lucky.