bennyblanco

Hi all - Im thinking about visiting Japan for vacation sometime in the next year and would love to travel in Business or First Class. Im flying out of Toronto, but can get anywhere a few days in advance ie. LAX, JFK, etc.

Im wondering if any of you can provide some advice on what might be the best method to do this while saving a few bucks? I don't think I can afford $4000+ tickets.

I collect a lot of Amex point which can be transferred to Aeroplan, Delta, etc.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

joejones

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemil...y-region-asia/

tcook052

The time of year and how far in advance you can book may play a role but would keep your eyes open for possible deals in the Mileage Run Forum's Good Deal Premium Fare Thread as there are some very good First & Business deals that do come up.

The catch is being able to decide quickly, not wait for 2 days, as the pricing is always on the move.

Good luck!

RichardInSF

I think it is pretty unlikely you can get a business class round trip for under $3500 and usually it's more. Sometimes Seoul (which is only a two hour flight back to Tokyo) is cheaper.

Apparently ANA is running some deals right now but they are mostly to other Asian cities changing planes in Narita. Still if might be worth investigating.

closetasfan

every time I look for Biz class or First class from NY to NRT, the one that comes up with the most availability is Air Canada through Toronto. So perhaps use Air Canada miles or United Miles?

beep88

>> So perhaps use Air Canada miles or United Miles?

1. it's often cheaper to fly from NYC to NRT via YYZ , then just flying YYZ -NRT on AC. Originating from YYZ, it's always cheaper to go through US. Randomly picked February, in J, it's $1000 - 1600 more to fly AC compared to UA/NH/JL/AA (~4000)

2. using "Air Canada miles" (aeroplan) to fly YYZ-NRT in J on AC = next to impossible to book + $650 of YQ

OP should post this question on Aeroplan forum. Did a few F aeroplan "miniRTW" rewards with a stop in Japan, on UA and NH.

5khours

Amex miles on SQ is a good option. But it's usually hard to book anything very far out.

robyng

Delta flies non-stop to Narita out of Detroit. I don't know about flights from Toronto to Detroit. The cheapest RT business fare on Delta is 120,000 miles (and you should be able to find at least one ticket at that price level). This thread may help if you're looking at Delta:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...l#post19981899

Robyn

moodypete

I can only speak about Air Canada...

If you are traveling from YYZ->NRT on Air Canada and if all if your cards fall right, you could try paying from a last minute upgrade to "Executive First".

If you monitor things closely, you will probably be able to get a Tango (discount economy) for about $1500 (all in)

When you check in you will probably (~75%) be offered the chance to purchase a last minute upgrade (LMU) at the kiosk. Of course other than whether this will be offered, the other variable is the price.

The last two times: once for my wife (who was travelling two weeks prior to me) and once for me, the price was $1298+ (all in). Let's just assume that is the normal price (I have seen lower stated on this board...but they were old posts). The LMU's are available to all fare classes. I know b/c I was on Tango and I was offered and (in a moment of weakness) accepted.

If you took the upgrade both ways that would make it $4100 which I guess breaks your limit.

But if you just want to travel business/F, then you could just take the upgrade on the outbound which would put you at $2800. It sounds like you would like to travel on business/F for the experience. In that case, maybe just one way would be enough. On the way back, hopefully with all the fun you will have in Japan (wonderful country by the way...lived there 3 years myself), you will just zonk out and it doesn't matter where you sit.

A slight word of warning. Air Canada's "Executive First" is half way in-between Business and First. It's better than Business (which I define as wider...longer pitch seats) as they have fully flat beds but by no stretch is it First like you would experience in say at Cathay. But for a NA carrier, I'd say it is closer to First than Business.

As I said, I upgraded to "Executive First" and despite the cost, I was really happy I did it. The food was quite good (get the Japanese main...it is surprisingly good!) and the drinks were flowing. The FA's treat you ALOT better in Executive First. They really work on your schedule whereas in economy (where I am 99% of the time) it's pretty obvious, you have to stick to their schedule).

Last word, if you want to do this all, I would suggest avoiding the three holiday periods in Japan, namely: Golden Week (late Apr->early May), Obon (in August) and New Year's (a few days before and after Jan. 1). People tend to travel during this time which will effect occupancy and thus fares. Besides that, everywhere will be super crowded.

But if you go in say September (wonderful weather at that time)...you should be golden.

Anyway, good luck to you in Japan.

Really a nice country.

PPS. Forgot to mention, if not traveling F back to YYZ, you might want to consider booking a premium seat ($120) on the way back. From experience, I can tell you that sitting in a middle row way back in economy on a 13H flight is not fun.

KPT

OP, how important is date selection/season? If you don't mind having weird dates to fly JFK-NRT, then you could do NH C/F ex JFK. There are two flights on that route. NH9 ex JFK and NH10 ex NRT are morning flights, while NH1009 ex JFK and NH1010 ex NRT are in the afternoon.

The YQ surcharge is hefty, but it's not much compared to the actual ticket price (that is, if you're not redeeming economy). It's the same amount regardless of class; mine was $744 this time. Last year it was $760.

See: https://www.ana.co.jp/wws/japan/e/as...u/kokusai.html
JFK-NRT is in the 11K-14K category, so 75K-95K points for roundtrip C depending on dates.

Braindrain

Nothing extra to add to the "you're not going to get Biz for less than $3500" talk but you may consider using ANA.

They'll be flying SEA-NRT using a 787 and their newest Biz class - which is really something to try. I'm sure they're flying a 787 from other US gateways but I'm not sure which ones.

MtRoot

SJC-NRT is starting in a few days but not as convenient from Canada.

SEA/SJC-NRT and 1009/10 JFK-NRT had good award availability when I checked a couple of months ago on united.com. Could be even better with NH miles.

joejones

You could also buy up US Airways miles during their promotions and use those to fly to Japan on NH, UA, LH, etc.

edscholl

since you're considering points, delta has good availability for single tix in business to nrt and hnd from lax.

Spunwasi

It's only 125k aeroplan points from YYZ-NRT on AC I believe. Probably your best bet. Buying a full fare economy and using points to upgrade might be an option too to bring the cost down. Just remember to double check your booking fare to make sure it's an upgradeable fare.