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Originally Posted By: thursday
how long is your transit in HK? enough time to go shopping?

Probably not Thursday.
Just enough to get some dinner really....5 hours or so.
But we just got back remember - we took 2 almost empty suitcases to HK and came home with 3 totally full to bursting ones - so probably not requiring too much shopping this trip.

Also need to save some room for treasures from Paris and Milan thumbsup I am thinking SHOES!
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lol You must have been on exactly the same flight we were. Long lines in Toyko totally freaked cause we thought we were going to miss our flight then passed through customs really quick THEN our luggage got lost and we had to put a claim form in and made the connecting flight by about 10 minutes.

 

It was a very scary introduction to Japan. Everythng went well though. The airport staff were fantastic. Got our luggage 2 days later.

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Originally Posted By: macmeh
Missed a question a few posts ago about Brisbane to Niseko and the ease of the trip...

In short...
6:00am: Leave the house to go to the airport.
8:30am: Flight takes off.
4:45pm: Flight lands in Tokyo
6:30pm: Flight takes off from Tokyo (REALLY short international connection, but most of the flight is trying to make it, so they always delay the domestic flight and wait).
8:30pm: Flight lands in Narita.
9:30pm: Bus leaves the airport.
11:30 - 12:00pm: Bus arrives in Niseko, 50m from the hotel.

So it is an 18 hour day... but most of it is spent watching movies and drinking Asahi on the international flight.

The only pinch point is the international to domestic connection. First time we did it, we were packing it... customs lines were unbelievable, we thought we were going to miss the flights for sure- but once we got to the check in desks, we noticed that they were picking the connecting passengers out of the lines and sending them towards the gates... so its obviously a regular thing for them.

I did have a Qantas pilot tell me last year to do Jetstar in to Osaka, and then wait on a cheap standby to get up to Niseko (something like 10 flights a day)... so that is an option if time isn't critical and you'd like to save some cash (apparently it costs about $500 to do it that way!!!).

Apologies for the length there... not the short version at all I note!


Sorry to be a pedant, but you arrive at New Chitose (CTS) not Narita. Just in case someone is looking to use this as a booking guide smile
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Aaah... amatuer mistake to fly through New Chitose! wink

 

If you ask really nicely, your travel agent should find the one flight from Brisbane per day that goes direct to Narita (not New Chitose), that flight then allows you to make the domestic connection from Narita to Sapporo!

 

For reference, check out QF369 (Operated by Jalways) and then JL3047.

 

Only 1 problem with this flight though... because it's a Qantas flight operated by Jalways, you can't use your Qantas Freqent Flyer points to upgrade to business class and get a bed on the overnight flight getting home :(

 

I ask- whats the point of spending half of the year racking up points on crappy overnight business trips if you can't spend them on a comfortable business class upgrade!!

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Originally Posted By: macmeh
Aaah... amatuer mistake to fly through New Chitose! wink

If you ask really nicely, your travel agent should find the one flight from Brisbane per day that goes direct to Narita (not New Chitose), that flight then allows you to make the domestic connection from Narita to Sapporo!

For reference, check out QF369 (Operated by Jalways) and then JL3047.

Only 1 problem with this flight though... because it's a Qantas flight operated by Jalways, you can't use your Qantas Freqent Flyer points to upgrade to business class and get a bed on the overnight flight getting home :(

I ask- whats the point of spending half of the year racking up points on crappy overnight business trips if you can't spend them on a comfortable business class upgrade!!


wakaranai

I went to the Jalways site and it says that the connection is Narita to Sapporo Chitose.

Isn't that New Chitose (CTS)?
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Originally Posted By: MikePow
Originally Posted By: macmeh
Aaah... amatuer mistake to fly through New Chitose! wink

If you ask really nicely, your travel agent should find the one flight from Brisbane per day that goes direct to Narita (not New Chitose), that flight then allows you to make the domestic connection from Narita to Sapporo!

For reference, check out QF369 (Operated by Jalways) and then JL3047.

Only 1 problem with this flight though... because it's a Qantas flight operated by Jalways, you can't use your Qantas Freqent Flyer points to upgrade to business class and get a bed on the overnight flight getting home :(

I ask- whats the point of spending half of the year racking up points on crappy overnight business trips if you can't spend them on a comfortable business class upgrade!!


wakaranai

I went to the Jalways site and it says that the connection is Narita to Sapporo Chitose.

Isn't that New Chitose (CTS)?



smile macmeh, mate, get yourself a map of japan! you're confusing people!!
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think there is wires crossed there.

 

Narita is the main international airport for Tokyo, just to the east of the city in Chiba.

New Chitose is the airport in Hokkaido servicing Sapporo...

 

Perhaps he's meaning Haneda airport which is the OTHER Tokyo airport that mainly handles internal flights

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That he does. I took that flight earlier this year. But I wish I'd taken the 5oo buck Jetstar Oz to Osaka and then standby to Hokkaido trip mentioned a page back. Is that for real? Anyone done it? Bet it's not from Perth. I would have had to fly to the east to get it.

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Oooh, sorry!

 

Huge apologies to all, and thanks to those that clarified my error! I was confusing New Chitose with Haneda! Last year, I clearly consumed a little bit too much Asahi on the flight to remember airports correctly!!!

 

Just to confuse myself a little bit more... I did hear that there used to be a flight from Cairns direct to New Chitose (Sapporo) that ran through the peak season, but I think that Qantas may have pulled out of that route?

 

As for the Jetstar option... haven't tried it myself! The guy that told me about it was a pilot for Qantas, and he suggested it as a good way to get back to Japan for a second holiday in the one season on the cheap. As with most things though, you pay for what you get. I'm sure its more difficult and far more painful than we imagine!

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I've never heard of anyone getting a cheap standby flight in the last few years in Japan. I've never heard of any cheap last minute deals on internal flights either. If you want to go to Okinawa etc. on a package, normally you have to book about a week before. Less than that and you have to buy separate tickets and accom. This usually costs more than a package because packages include discounted flights. The only cheap internal flights are the birthday deals, apexs, etc. and flat 10,000 deals that all have to be booked early.

 

It may happen of course, but I've never heard of anyone doing it.

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Maybe this has already been mentioned but there is a thing called an Air Pass - sort of like the JR rail pass. If you're flying in from outside of Japan there are deals for 10,000 yen each way from TY to Sapporo or 26,000 return - depending one which type of airline you're using.

 

I think someone mentioned how expensive the TY to Sapporo leg of their flight is - this might save a few bucks.

 

 

 

I hear that the CBA and NAB have gone cold on the idea of lending to investors in Niseko - talk about fair weather friends!

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Originally Posted By: Rag-Doll
I think someone mentioned how expensive the TY to Sapporo leg of their flight is - this might save a few bucks.


I think it was me, and it sounds like a good plan, if we hadn't already bought non-refundable tickets. Maybe keep it up my sleeve for next time, thanks. How do you score those? Through JAL?
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yep. ANA might do the same, simple search for Air Pass JAL etc. You have to go through their office or book by phone because you need the details of the in bound international flight but it is all pretty easy. I don't know if it can be done on the internet.

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For the information of others, with JAL, it's called the "OneWorld Yokoso Japan Fare", 10000Y/sector, if you have international flight with a OneWorld Airline. If not, there is the "Welcome to Japan Fare" for 13000Y/sector, with no restriction on international airline. There is information on their web page, but you need to book with JAL at an office or by phone, as you said, and only outside of Japan.

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Originally Posted By: Rag-Doll
Originally Posted By: MikePow
NAB yes.

CBA no. They were in town today.


That's good to hear. Were they skiing or handing out money?


Not exactly handing out money, but fielding applications to possibly hand out money at a later date.
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