IACE travel: US-Japan, $299+, one-day sale (2/20/10)
 

IACE Travel is promoting a one-day sale to take place on February 20, 2010, for air travel from the US to Japan. A limited number of tickets are reportedly available for $299 round-trip, not including the fuel surcharge and taxes, for departures through May 15, 2010. The website proclaims that the fare is good "anywhere from US" but then cryptically adds "where service available." Left unsaid is the identity of the carrier or whether the fare will earn miles.

Active discussion on this deal on FW

after all the taxes are counted, this amounts to almost $499, which I guess is a good deal but I flew AC to NRT back in June for $460RT total....this is the the rainy season so beware..

Looks like this might be a decent deal for folks on east coast?

~$600 Anywhere USA to Japan book on 2/20
 

I am not sure if this is a miles earning deal or not, but it has potential. There is an existing FatWallet thread discussing it.

Conditions:
$299 from anywhere mystery airline flies - Japan
Fuel Surcharge $200 US Mainland / $100 Hawaii
You must book in person on Saturday 2/20 at one of their travel centers.
Moderators - feel free to move to Budget Travel if it ends up not earning miles.

already posted in the Budget forum: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/budge...l#post13402722

Thanks for posting the deal SAT Lawyer.
The wife and I have been trying to decide on a spring trip and have been bouncing between a trip to Japan (possibly including other parts of Asia) or the UK (to take advantage of the relatively cheap GBP. We've been checking IACE Canada every so often but haven't found any great deals for our time frame yet. If they have flights out of Seattle and take Canadian bookings, I might have to jump on this. I think our last trip we paid about just under $800CDN after taxes and fees out of YVR and the prices I'm currently seeing out of YVR is in the $900-$1000 range.

Looks like the "$299" advertised does not include the fuel surcharge. If that's the case, by not including any "fuel surcharges" in the advertised airfare, the IACE Travel advertisement violates the DoT's full fare advertising rule (14 CFR 399.84) and constitutes a deceptive trade practice and an unfair method of competition (49 U.S.C. 41712).

DoT enforcement actions, fines and consent decrees against others (e.g. JTB-USA) who've engaged in the same sleazy practice can be found by searching regulations.gov:

http://www.regulations.gov/search/Re...ontentType=pdf

http://www.regulations.gov/search/Re...ontentType=pdf

Interesting. The cases indicate that DOT has sought enforcement actions with modest divil penalties. Is there any private right of action available from a provider who fails to comply with the regs?

It would seem to me that it is a good deal for those of us on the east coast.

it's interesting enough for me to go to japan for spring break instead of the summer for my small round the world trip (or maybe go back...).

Weather will be a little chilly (10-15 degrees Celsius) but there s a chance of either catching the cherry blossoms or going to an onsen with snow.

Now I have to resist the urge of bringing 2 suitcases.....

the discussion on FW is not worth the time reading it, the discussion on a similar site has more info (slick deals).

And now merged into one thread after it was moved here from Mileage Run Deals forum :)

EmailKid
Budget Travel moderator

USA to Tokyo $299
 

http://www.iace-usa.com/us/index.php...fers&Itemid=53

This is a travel agent sale, but likely will offer seats on a variety of airlines from the US to Tokyo. Call your local branch to see what airline you can fly, and make sure the fare basis includes miles (some might not) before you buy.

Been discussed a bit already... and more than once... and already moved to Budget forum:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/budge...ok-2-20-a.html

BTW, isn't it a bit "sensationalist" to put $299 in the title without at least mentioning the fees and surcharges that are mentioned on the website?

This thread will be moved to budget travel and consolidated with all the others on this same fare sale.

There is some discussion that the $299 advert falls foul of regulations concerning advertising of airfares. Per regulations, the total price including fuel surcharges and taxes also has to be listed in addition to the 'low lead in fare', and in many cases for this promotion it has not.

"taxes and fees that are assessed on an ad valorem basis, such as the 7.5%
federal excise tax, must be included in the advertised fare. Any air carrier-imposed surcharges,
such as “fuel surcharges” and “insurance surcharges,” also must be included in the advertised
fare. In addition, for travel packages that include air transportation, any taxes and fees that are
not government-imposed on a per-person basis also must be included (i.e., taxes assessed on
hotel rooms and rental cars, as well as hotel “linen charges” and “energy charges”)."

source: Department of Transportation Advertising Regulations
(November 2008)


By advertising it for $299, then having a separate fuel surcharge, this is a clear breach.

Just to add to this...
The wife called up the Seattle office and they said ~ $299 + $86 taxes + $206 fuel supplement = $591. And there could be other fees dependent on carrier.
Might be direct but might be a stopover. Out of SEA, United and Delta fly direct to NRT.
Must depart by May 15 as mentioned. Return window hasn't been defined (yet) but is generally 45 or 90d.

Further info on Saturday apparently.