Budget Travel - Advice re Open Return tickets UK -> JPN (KIX/NGO/NRT)

Hi,

This is a little way ahead of time but in September 07 I'll be going to Japan as an exchange student.

As part of that I'm having to get my financial affairs in order so that I don't have any worries while I'm away. My question is about the flight. That's gonna cost a huge chunk of change so wanted to ask what kind of options I'll have with regareds to that eg costs / how to go about booking it etc. Will the airline need to see my student visa before allowing the ticket to be booked etc.

Many thanks


mrploddy

You shouldn't need to show your visa to book the ticket at all. However they will want to see your visa before they let you on the plane.

Do you have any miles you can use for an award to get you to Japan? If the costs are quite high, that might be a good use for them.

Not enough miles for a return ticket of that value.

Thats the reason I asked, I know that such a flexible ticket is gonna be a huge chunk of change compared to your average 1 month maximum stay tickets which I've been used to buying.

I've been to Japan twice on Q class ticket on EK and an M class ticket on SAS but I'm guessing Open Returns are full Y ?

-mrploddy

Holders of an ISIC card in the UK can take advantage of student only airfares which are far cheaper than unrestricted full fares. Student fares are usually flexible so you can change your ticket for little or no penalty. Some fares even allow the accrual of airline miles (eg. SQ books student fares into Y class). Benefits of student fares include greater luggage allowance (eg. SQ has 40kg on certain routes compared to normal 20kg) and tickets are valid for a full 12 months.

These fares are usually sold through student travel agencies but you may also find special fares which aren't advertised, direct from the airline. Shop around for the best prices.

If you still can't find what you want at the price you want, you should realise that air travel from Japan to the UK is usually considerably cheaper than UK to Japan.

I can highly recommend www.iace.co.jp for tickets - they'll even accept bookings from the UK by credit card (details need to be sent by fax to do this).

I'd suggest buying the cheapest return possible (check if Asiana have any good deals through www.gendai.co.uk - add another £90 to published prices). With luck, you can get a return for about £350 or less. Then buy your ticket back in Japan (about a month in advance the ticket prices can be as low as £250 for a cheap return).

You can discard the return portion of both tickets, but it should still be MUCH cheaper than buying open returns or singles.

Tip - if you can open a BMI credit card account, you could get 20,000 miles - with about 27,000miles and about £200 you could get your return trip back in Business. You should be able to pick up 7,000miles on your way there and with a hotel stay (more tips in the BMI forum). This will help you with your luggage allowance when you come back!!!

Gendai have helped me in getting a cheap ticket to Japan in Economy with an extra 10kgs of allowance - even the check-in desk clerk was surprised! She initially refused my 30kgs until the details of my e-ticket came up stating this was authorised. The look on her face was priceless!!!