Archived:FlightsToJapan

Confirmed

John, Phil, Dan, Mike, and Ben are on BA0007 on 2012-03-17

John, Phil, Dan and Mike are on BA0006 on 2012-04-01

Abstract

We should figure out which flights to take quite soon, as prices will rise, and schedules depend on knowing timings.

It would probably be best to travel together where possible?

The majority of flights leave quite early in the morning, almost all from Heathrow. It may be worth making considerations for plans that start with mustering on Friday, e.g. at Mike's.

<Mike> I'm OK with people arriving here, but I'm not sure I could fit you all in.

Note that it's a 12 hour flight (plus usually about 90 minutes in stopovers) plus a 9 hour time difference. Unless otherwise noted, it's reasonable to estimate arrival as being about 24 hours after take-off.

Method

The only sub-£500 flight I have found is an Aeroflot route that involves a 15 hour stop in Moscow. It therefore arrives Tokyo Monday morning.

At roughly £600 are a few options, Alitalia, Lufthansa, KLM that change in their respective European hubs. Also Air China.

Also BA, direct, assuming one is happy to take the 8am option.

The BA 12am option is £708

Virgin (1pm), direct, (flying out at the weekend) is ~£780, but matches BA's £598 if flying out on a weekday.

Discussion

So my thinking is this:

• Assuming holiday won't flex to flying Friday, the simplest option is to bite the alarm clock and fly BA 8am. I suspect the early flights are better for jet-lag mitigation anyway.
  • <Mike> I can fly Friday (and, presumably, it'll be cheaper). Not sure if everyone else can, though....
  • NB: Friday isn't absolutely cheaper, unless only considering Virgin flights (which you might do if objecting to silly o'clock starts).
• If domestic transportation arrangements don't permit this, then we could consider Lufthansa 10am (from Gatwick) or Air China 5pm (from Heathrow).
  • Alitalia and KLM being even earlier (~6am). The desperate may consider a sleep-Friday-at-the-airport option.
• It occurs to me that for much the same prices, we can fly to Osaka, skipping the necessity of sorting out a day in Tokyo and entraining to meet lmm. Only disadvantage being that we can't fly direct because BA are lame. Might therefore require a longish stopover in Amsterdam or Rome.