How to escape ridiculous Tokyo fares with FCF strategies.
Fares to Tokyo are climbing faster than a sunrise over Mount Fuji, so it’s time to look for alternatives. Business Class fares on United currently range from $5,888 to $6,388, on Japan Airlines from $5,380 to $5,832, and on ANA can cost more than $5,600, and the lowest fares have often been as high as $9,000 over the last few months. Those are some
in the kitchen for our employees to work out their anger.
But the best form of revenge is analysis, not violence. So that’s what we’ve prepared here for you.
In no particular order…
High-Fare Chopper #1: ZIPAIR
ZIPAIR, owned by Japan Airlines, is offering new nonstop Los Angeles-Tokyo flights starting at $1,693 round-trip. Both outbound and return flights are running daily (except Sundays) through March 19, 2022. At the present time, ZIPAIR offers service only on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays after March 21, 2022.
Here is FCF’s GBUTM (Good, Bad & Ugly!) analysis of ZIPAIR:
The Good: Fares are low, and there’s a decent schedule:
- Outbound departing Los Angeles at 9:40 a.m. and arriving at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport at 2:25 p.m., Inbound departing Tokyo at 2:45 p.m. and arriving 7:40 a.m., through March 12; - Outbound departing Los Angeles at 10:40 a.m. and arriving at Tokyo at 2:25 p.m., Inbound departing Tokyo at 2:45 p.m. and arriving 8:40 a.m., through June 30; - Outbound departing Los Angeles at 11:00 a.m. and arriving at Tokyo at 2:10 p.m., and inbound departing Tokyo at 2:45 p.m. and arriving Los Angeles at 9:00 a.m., after July 2.
Since it’s owned by JAL, points can be exchanged between ZIPAIR and JAL.
ZIPAIR provides two different types of seating options. There are 18 flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration.
The Bad: It only flies five days a week through March 19, then goes to three days a week. No Personal seat-back TV monitor.
The Ugly: With the exception of the Tokyo-Seoul route, you can’t make any changes to flights once ticketed and no refunds are permitted, which goes against current airline trends.
High-Fare Chopper #2: Fly Delta (But Do It Soon)
Oh by the way, after ZIPAIR decreases their service to three days a week, Delta with one stop, is already charging half price before March 19 (near ZIPAIR’s end of daily service). In other words, you can fly Delta to Tokyo in Business Class before March 19 and pay $5,903 to $7,176, OR you can fly after that day and pay between $12,600 and $13,600 until it starts nonstop service in April. Mmmm, see for yourself...
High-Fare Chopper #3:
Japan Airlines Award Availability
There’s good one- and two-seat availability on Japan Airlines from now through to November out of Boston, Chicago and Dallas. From Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, that availability goes all the way to December. As you’d probably expect, it’s rarer to find four seats, but not impossible, particularly out of New York in October and November. Japan Airline is a transfer partner of Marriott.
No miles? No problem. See our chart just below with availability treasure map... and buy-miles/points strategy savings at the bottom of this special report.
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High-Fare Chopper #4: Singapore Airlines With Dollars
Save a bundle with Singapore Airlines Business Class nonstop from Los Angeles to Tokyo for $3,887 — compared to ANA and United from $5,888 and Japan Airlines from $5,380.
High-Fare Chopper #5: Singapore Airlines Award Availability (Points Transfer Partners: Amex, Capital One, Chase and Citibank)
Here at FCF we love the color green. That's because green means available seats are seen. That’s particularly the case out of the Big Apple flying Singapore Airlines in Business Class to Singapore for one, two, and four seats. There’s also good availability from Los Angeles to Tokyo, straight through until December.
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High-Fare Chopper #6: Depart from Vancouver
Here’s some true north thinking: Depart from Vancouver on Air Canada, ANA, or Japan Airlines and pay USD $2,737 to $3,290, up to 77% off fares from the U.S.
High-Fare Chopper #7:
Consider Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Award Availability
(Points Transfer Partners: Amex, Capital One, and Citibank)
In the last half of this year (July-October) there is some good one- and two-seat availability out of Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco to Hong Kong in Cathay Business Class.
No miles? No problem. See our chart just below with availability treasure map... and buy-miles/points strategy savings at the bottom of this special report.
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High-Fare Chopper #8: The FCF Eurasian Stopover
We mentioned this last month and it’s still a beauty. You can fly on Finnair from New York to Tokyo with a free stop in Helsinki and pay just $2,997. Compare that to Japan Airlines’ New York-Tokyo route for $11,110. Imagine what you could do with that extra eight grand.
High-Fare Chopper #9:
All Nippon Amex Transfer Partner Award Availability
: we’ve found a few seats for two travelers from Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC and some good one-seat Business Class award space to Tokyo on All Nippon as shown in the chart below. As you can see, Washington, DC-Tokyo (Haneda) is particularly fruitful from July through November, and there’s pretty good one-seat availability out of Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston. And it’s relatively cheap.
No miles? No problem. See our chart just below with availability treasure map... and buy-miles/points strategy savings at the bottom of this special report.
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Cheapest Amex Transfer Partners Plus Buy Miles Strategy If You Don’t Have the Points
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More buy miles strategy options
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Why Visit Tokyo in 2022
Need more reasons to visit Tokyo in 2022? From pop culture hotspots and historical sites, to skyscrapers and nature parks, Japan’s capital is a buzzing metropolis with the largest population of any city in the world: 37 million. It’s also ground zero for delicious Japanese food, fashion, and a bustling nightlife. Here are 10 reasons to go:
- Shop ‘til you drop at the fashion boutiques of Shibuya and check out the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the busiest crossing in the world — with up to 3,000 pedestrians at a time.
- Into Japanese pop culture? Head to Harajuku, the heart of youth culture or the Nakano and Akihabara areas to get your fix of anime, manga, video games, Hello Kitty, Pokemon, and Kawaii fashion.
- Drink a sake toast to your good fortune at a fun izakaya bar in neon-lit Shinjuku.
- Eat like a king — or a shogun — in the city with more Michelin stars than any other in the world. From epic sushi restaurants to hole-in-the-wall joints, to street stalls specializing in ramen, you can indulge in blockbuster cuisine at a whopping 60,000 eateries.
- Watch the fascinating auctioneers and buyers in action at the world’s largest fish market, Tsukiji, where you can also sample the freshest seafood in town.
- Glory in the signature spring cherry blossoms at gorgeous gardens and parks, such as Shinjuku Gyoen Park, Yoyogi Park, Ueno Park, and Rikugien Gardens.
- Step back in time in the old town of Yanesen to admire traditional buildings and historical spots — a glorious window into the famed 1603-1867 Edo period. Be sure to Instagram the photogenic Senbon Torii Gate.
- Soar to the top of 2,080-foot-high Tokyo Skytree, the tallest building in Japan, with the best bird’s-eye view of the city from the 1,473-foot-high Tembo Galleria, which is the world’s highest skywalk.
- Explore the history of temples and shrines in the Asakusa neighborhood, especially the 7th-century Buddhist temple of Sensoji, the oldest in Tokyo, with its symbolic giant lantern.
- Take a day trip to scenic Mount Takao, an hour by train from downtown, to hike its beautiful trails to the 1,965-foot summit and the 8th-century Yakuoin temple.
