Booking tickets to Japan for March, Should I book soon or wait for a "Jetstar" sale.

Johnny-Kun on 06/11/2012 - 23:43

Im planning to travel to Japan in March next year for 3 weeks, Any opinions on whether I should wait for a sale or book it?

Currently Jetstar has one plane that hasn't been booked yet on the 7th of March, which is the day I need to arrive in Japan since I am meeting up with my girlfriend at the airport.

Jetstar has the ticket for $540.38 from Brisbane to Narita airport, pretty much normal pricing. Pretty sure Jetstar will have a Japan sale soon but unsure when, I'm worried that I might lose a seat but if I wait long enough I might be able to score cheap flights.

Also is travel insurance necessary? I don't really understand it

Any advice?

Could you guys provide websites that offer cheap hotels and a prepaid debt card I can use over there?
Thanks

Travel

Comments

  • cacbm on 07/11/2012 - 02:03

    If it's $540 one-way from Brisbane to Tokyo, you might be better off considering flying with various Asian full-service airlines.

    They may well be cheaper, and you don't need to wait for the sale that may never come, not to mention that travel period for the sale (it there will be one) may not be suitable for you.

    • casval on 11/11/2012 - 08:22

      Watch those long layover times with some mainland chinese airlines. Cuts into you holiday and in the end not worth the discount.

  • dwhes on 07/11/2012 - 06:51

    Jetstar will definitely have a sale for your period at some point IMO. They generally have sales that cover most of the year for Japan. i went in February of this year and got sale tickets in November. However they actually fly out of the Gold Coast or Cairns to Japan. Not Brisbane airport.

  • hello007 on 07/11/2012 - 07:22
    +1

    Hi get a 28 degrees Mastercard to avoid international Atm fees.

    Use jetstars price beat guarantee.

    Search on www.adioso.com and www.skyscanner.net for flights.

    • Johnny-Kun on 07/11/2012 - 13:45

      Just had a look at the 28 degrees Mastercard, I think I'll open an account a month before I leave. Cheers for the links :)

  • [Deactivated] on 07/11/2012 - 08:29

    Why/how are adioso.com's Jetstar fares cheaper than buying direct from Jetstar own website?

    • AdiosoTom on 07/11/2012 - 19:11
      +2

      It's not cheaper, and we just refer you to Jetstar to book.

      But, it's a much faster way to find where/when on Jetstar's site the best deals are.

      If you go direct to Jetstar, you have to do a lot more work selecting different date & destination combinations.

      • voteoften on 08/11/2012 - 05:51
        +3

        I love adioso.

        • AdiosoTom on 08/11/2012 - 18:21
          +1

          We never get sick of hearing this. Thank you. We're doing a huge amount of work to improve it at the moment. Would love to hear your thoughts.

        • Johnny-Kun on 08/11/2012 - 19:21
          +1

          Your email notification system is great, Saves me a lot of time looking at other flight companies.

        • stonedewok on 13/11/2012 - 01:28

          I concur!

          Adioso is amazing…i'm always recommending it to friends (who, at first, are amazed by my flight-hunting skills lol)

          AdiosoTom - couple of questions…
          - Are you planning on making an iOS or Android app anytime soon?
          - Could you help me with finding a direct flight from Sydney to Tokyo / Osaka, March 19th for approx 2 weeks? I tried using the format you provided below…but it came up with weird results? For example, the first result was China Eastern with a stopover in Shanghai even though I selected "Direct".

          In the meantime I'm holding out for the usual Jetstar Japan sales :) Hopefully they'll have 2 for 1 like a a few years ago!!!

          Thanks in advance!
          Matt.

        • janeymac on 16/11/2012 - 14:01

          Me too. I booked our flights to UK last year, and used this service to find the cheapest available flights. Beat all others by at least a few hundred $$. Great free service, and so much easier to search!

  • gmail92 on 07/11/2012 - 11:06

    is flyscoot any better? they just opened new discounted services to japan.

    • Johnny-Kun on 07/11/2012 - 13:31

      I checked out flyscoot a couple of days ago because my friend said she booked a flight to Japan next year. When I checked to see if I can make a purchase, there wasn't any deals to Tokyo from Gold Coast unless I'm blind and didn't see it.

      Edit: Just did a search and they have no dates for me to fly from the 7th March. They are fairly cheap though, about $400 or so on days that I'm not going. I might keep a lookout on flyscoot and see if Jetstar will price match it

      • AdiosoTom on 08/11/2012 - 18:24

        You can also find better deals by stopping over in Cairns.

        If you look at this search on Adioso, you'll see a couple of options for under $1000 return.

        Then if you use the "Watch Price" feature you'll get emails regularly telling you what new offers are coming up on any airline (indeed, any combination of airlines).

        HTH

  • casval on 11/11/2012 - 08:19
    +2

    If you're going to be travelling around Japan, it is well worth getting a Japan Rail pass. Bullet train (shinkansen) tix can cost a few hundred. JR passes can only be bought overseas. And changed over to an actual pass when you get into Japan.

    No one has mentioned it yet but insurance is highly recommended. You need to insure yourself medically as well as for contingencies that may happen. DFAT is not responsible to bringing you home if you break a leg or or something. Also, medical costs and repatriation can run into tens of thousands.

    Depends on you level of cover, you can also insure belongings. Eg. whe I went to Japan last time, a hotel staff damaged my luggage, I claimed my insurance to have it repaired. A friend lost her iphone and was replaced by insurance on return. If you do losse or damage somethimg, just make sure you get some sort of report from police or hotel staff or whatever. Makes it easier to make a claim.

    There are some fine print things that aren't covered, like missed connections or delays that are under certain number of hours and subsequent costs.

    Shouldn't be that much for 3 wks. Normally under $300 if you don't have significant preexisting medical conditions. I have read a lot of bad reviews about Allianz underwitten products. Great Lakes seems to have a good enough rep. Look thru your health insurer or car club etc for discounts.

    Insurance is essential if you're going overseas, especially if those countries have no reciprocal arrangements with Australia. As I said earlier, the Aust govt isn't going to pay for your repatriation or medical costs, etc if you get in trouble. Not to memtion act of god events that causes flight cancellations/significant delays. eg sandy

    • Johnny-Kun on 12/11/2012 - 11:56
      +1

      Thank you so much for giving me information about travel insurance. Was having a look at http://www.travelinsurancedirect.com.au/ and their policy seems good as well price.

      I was thinking about getting a rail pass but since my girlfriend is a US citizen with SOFA identification we can rent a car on-base that covers tolls so we only have to pay renting the car which is pretty cheap and the occasional fuel stopover. She says it works out cheaper to rent a car than to get a JR Pass since we won't be traveling to various parts of Japan in a rush.

      Well we sorted out accommodation in Tokyo, staying at Hardy Barracks. Anyone here been to Fuji Q? I missed out when I was over there last time and decided to check out Tokyo Disneyland since I've never been to Disneyland before.

      I'm kinda planning the trip for my girlfriend and I, is there any unique places to see in Japan in general. I'll be cruising around Toyko, Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka region. Any good restaurants at an affordable price?

      I'll have to share my trip list for you guys once I've finished writing it up so you can give me any opinion and tips.

      • stonedewok on 13/11/2012 - 01:32

        Mate, DEFINITELY check out Fuji-Q!!! It's an awesome theme park! Worth it for "Eejainaika rollercoaster" alone :)

        I went on a weekday with average weather and the queues were reasonable. Definitely avoid holidays and weekends.

        I've used TID on heaps of trips…best bang-for-buck insurance for sure (never had to claim though, thank God!)

        I'll also be going to Japan in March for my honeymoon so it's awesome to read all the shared tips on OzB!

  • petelin12 on 30/11/2012 - 00:50

    I'm in pretty much in the same situation as you except i will be traveling in February next year. Not sure if i should waite for a sale to appear or just book soon. If i manage to find anything i will post here.

    • Johnny-Kun on 02/12/2012 - 14:19
      +1

      Thank you ^_^

      I've been getting updates from adioso, the prices fluctuates from $993 to $1037

      • petelin12 on 04/12/2012 - 18:02

        i think you should book your tickets soon. Because the closer it gets to February the more expensive it seems to be getting..last week it was $450 one way now its $585 one way!

        • Johnny-Kun on 04/12/2012 - 18:51

          I was going to hold out till mid January to book my tickets but if what your saying is true, I think I'll book it some time this month. I guess its better to be safe and buy now instead of forking out another hundred or so.

          Also there's one flight left that leaves and arrives on the 7th March which I need to fly. I'm really taking a gamble =_=

          Its $518 one way from Brisbane > Cairns > Narita at the moment, Cheapest I've seen it was $508.

          Have you sorted out your ticket yet petelin? Are you buying directly from Jetstar or using Adioso?

        • petelin12 on 04/12/2012 - 22:23

          Apparently the closer the the travel date the more expensive the ticket gets. But im not 100% sure on that. Ive been checking out jetstar and Adioso everyday to check on the prices haha. I'm planning to take the flight from Brisbane to Cairns to Narita.

          I think im going to risk it and waite for a deal, but then im worried the travel date wont be the date i want.

        • Johnny-Kun on 05/12/2012 - 11:08

          I Think I'll just hold out till January, just hope my plane doesn't get booked out or I'll be annoyed and my gf will be very angry :P.

          Do tell me how your trip goes though :)

        • petelin12 on 05/12/2012 - 17:35

          haha~ no probs will let you know how it goes. Keep me updated on your side. =)

        • Johnny-Kun on 13/12/2012 - 11:37

          Brisbane > Cairns > Narita = $570.37 (Includes 20KG from Brisbane to Cairns, Cairns to Narita and $15 Meal)

          I think now is the time to buy your tickets?

          Baggage = $55 for 20KG, flight would be around $480 or so if you just bringing Carry-on. I'm staying 4 weeks so I'll need the space

  • Gina Rinehart on 13/12/2012 - 01:22

    I know it's late, but they may never have a sale for this time period, as they did already have one back in June for Feb-March. It's just my guess, because I was able to score some very cheap return tickets from the gold coast to osaka back then.

    Good luck and have fun (we will probably be in Tokyo at the same time! haha).

    • Johnny-Kun on 13/12/2012 - 11:27
      +1

      Jetstar is having a sale for Tokyo from Gold Coast but the travel period is for April 1st, Adioso's prices for Brisbane just dropped to $816 return but bumping up with luggage (20kg x 4 = $55), on board food ($15 x 2) brings up my total to $1033. I guess this is works out cheaper then the standard $1037 on adioso without luggage and food.

      In the process of booking my ticket now

      • petelin12 on 13/12/2012 - 13:02

        Thanks for for the update, I just checked on Adioso, $966 return from Brisbane > Cairns > Narita and back. I cant find the Brisbane > Cairns > Narita = $570.37 (Includes 20KG from Brisbane to Cairns, Cairns to Narita and $15 Meal) tho?

        • Johnny-Kun on 13/12/2012 - 13:45

          Adult $431.36
          Passenger Movement $55.00
          Safety and Security $3.39
          AU Int Passenger SC $25.63
          Airfare per paying Adult $515.38
          1 x Adult Subtotal $515.38
          ADD-ONS Total$0.00
          EXTRAS Total$55.00
          Baggage $55.00

          Total Price: AUD$570.38

          Full itinerary
          Flight 1:
          JQ 928
          Departing:
          7:25 AM, 07 Mar, 2013
          Brisbane Domestic Terminal
          Arrival:
          9:45 AM, 07 Mar, 2013
          Cairns Domestic Terminal
          2h 20m transit time in Cairns

          Flight 2:
          JQ 25
          Departing:
          12:05 PM, 07 Mar, 2013
          Cairns International Terminal
          Arrival:
          18:45 PM, 07 Mar, 2013
          Tokyo (Narita International) - Terminal 2

          I thought I paid for a meal from Cairns to Narita, Ah well I can pay that later on. Price might be different because I'm travelling on March 7th.
          I haven't booked the return flight yet but it came down to $443 with baggage from Narita > Cairns > Brisbane. Again, might be different for you since I'll be returning on April 8th.

        • petelin12 on 13/12/2012 - 14:18

          oh thats right! yeah im traveling on the 20th of Feb.
          But yeah, good to know that your all set :)Hope you Enjoy yourself

  • Yerazanq on 05/01/2013 - 15:00

    Does anyone know if Jetstar will do another sale to Japan soon? I want to travel at the end of February but is it unlikely they will do one for then? (From Gold Coast I suppose)

    • Johnny-Kun on 05/01/2013 - 20:46

      They started their sale for April late December already, after I saw that sale I bought my tickets while they were still pretty cheap.

      I mean you could wait but I'm not quite sure if there will be a sale, its all about chance in the end. Good luck ;)

      I'd suggest you subscribe your travel dates with Adioso if you're going to wait it out

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