I actually just booked a flight today from New England to Tokyo for a ski trip next February. Due to the war in Iran and run-up in fuel prices, the trip organizer decided to have participants book their own flights.
Anyway, my options for a departure airport are anywhere between New York/Newark and Boston. The trip organizer booked himself on a non-stop from Newark to Tokyo. It’s 14-1/2 hours going and 13 hours returning for $2,300.
I decided I didn’t want to spend that long on a plane, so I booked flights with an overnight stopover in Seattle each way. That’s a 12-hour stopover outbound, and a 24-hour stopover returning. That breaks it up into a 6-hour flight and a 10-hour flight. I’ve stayed overnight in Seattle before…there are inexpensive hotels near the airport. Even with hotels, this option is also cheaper than the non-stop itinerary.
And if we’re up for it, we can do something in Seattle on the way back.
When i priced non-stop flights from the Northeast to Tokyo, the difference in cost between non-stop and two leg flights was not that large. I’ve done it a few times, most recently a year ago.
Eta: I’m seeing flights from Newark to Tokyo (landing in Narita and departing from Haneda) for about $1100 right now. Granted, that’s the teaser cost, and it’s probably more if you don’t want a middle seat. But I’m betting it’ll be less than $2300.
Yes, I saw that, too. But I have a lot of restrictions on arrival and departure times to mesh with the group, plus I need to fly in and out of Haneda unless I want to be responsible for my own ground transfers.
Finally, I want to be able to pick my seat. I refuse to fly in a middle seat that long. So basic economy is out for me.
All in all, my flights are going to cost me about $1,800. (Last fall, when I looked, they were less than $1,500.)
Here’s hoping I made good decisions on the routing. Flying out of Boston is much easier than the New York area, and I can park my car at my GF’s house there for free (instead of paying hundreds of dollars for airport parking).
With the overnight stays in Seattle, I have plenty of time between connections, but they are not linked together. (Alaska Airlines for BOS-SEA, and Delta for SEA-HND).
And of course winter travel is always a risk. If there are weather delays at either U.S. airport, I could be in trouble. I do have trip insurance.
We have a friend’s son’s truck at our house now for the same reason. Friends leave cars at our house 4-5 times a year to avoid paying at Logan, sometimes for up to a month. I skied in Hokkaido, but it sounds like you’re skiing on Honshu. I’ve heard good things about those resorts.
Thanks, that’s great to hear! We are planning to go to Hakuba (on Honshu). It’s where the 1998 Winter Olympics were held.
I’ve heard great things about the powder on Hokkaido. But it would added another day of travel each way. And I’m glad to see Honshu for a first visit. We are planning to spend three nights in Tokyo before Hakuba.
Regarding Hokkaido, I’ve seen articles like this one from Atlas Obscura that shows a highway from Toyama on Hokkaido, with the highway flanked by really high walls of snow. The article says the snow walls are as high as 66 feet, which is astonishing.