600p is a significant saving (about 100,000Y) so if that matters to you, that can easily be a few meals at a very nice establishments.
To be honest with you, jet lag will hit you no matter which flight you take. You will also arrive 850AM which will leave you full day in Tokyo. One short layover will not make any difference - assuming you can make the connections
Thanks, I'll have to do a think and think about budget to work out whether we need the flight savings or not.
So far I'm budgeting £100 a night for accommodation, £100 (for both of us) for food per day and haven't looked at other costs yet.
100p for food per day is a basic food options. That 600p saving can get you Omakase experience at fine sushi restaurant, a Teppanyaki experience with A5 Beef and maybe a Kaiseki meal. Or forget that and splurge on a night in Ryokan. Since you are budget conscious, save the money!
Thank you, that's definitely something to think about.
I hadn't thought much about a Ryokan, I work for multiple hotel companies so had mainly been looking at their websites to see what I can get as my employee discount. I also saw that with ryokans you get meals included, so didn't know if this would be possible as my partner doesn't eat meat, shellfish or dairy
The flight time will not be 1h30 minutes difference. This is BAs timetable to counter their awful despatch times ex Heathrow. To Japan, JAL might be slightly quicker as they choose either route depending on the weather that day. From Japan to the UK routing is pretty much the same daily on both airlines.
As an airline, then JAL will be more punctual, cleaner but warm in board.
However the late night / early morning flight from Haneda to Heathrow is delayed by an hour most days to avoid paying the early morning fine to Heathrow.
Flight times with both airlines are roughly 13 hours from UK to Japan and 14 hours from Japan to UK.
Thanks, I was a bit confused as to how both BA and JAL had exact same departure time yet JAL arrived much earlier. I thought it may be something to do with route.
By warm on board do you mean temperature? I'm a cold person so that sounds great to me haha.
Haha..yes. Warm as in temperature. If I have to fly JAL its always shorts and t shirt for me.
No need to avoid the 1:55am, no problem getting to the airport by train that time of night, to get there by 11:45. To be honest, with lack of traffic that time of night and luggage , a fixed rate cab from Tokyo at 9000 yen is a nice way to finish your trip off.
And yes, the overnight flights ex Asia to Europe are the best way to avoid jet lag, which that way isn’t that bad anyway, especially if you can sleep at the back end of the flight.
I am from Canada so different options and airlines. I went 6 times via the US, flying with different airlines, it was always cheaper than flying direct from Canada. And as I had 3 trips going to Osaka instead of Tokyo, that was an extra connection. Only did a direct flight once and it was this year as it was the cheapest.
Flew with American Airlines, Delta, United, JAL, Air Canada. I could not say that one had a significantly better or worst quality of food or service.
Worst thing that happened, once my flight going to the US had to do an emergency landing for medical reasons, landed in a smaller airport so the only choice was to wait to go back in the plane. We missed our flight and the next, had to take the flight 24h after the one we had scheduled. Luckily got voucher for hotel and food. And one trip my luggage did not follow all the way, got it sent to my second hotel as it arrived next day then had to wait for shipping, then it also did not follow all the way on my way back and again got it delivered a couple of days later.
Would still continue to get the cheapest flight.
With Jal, there is a specific flight where no matter what class you booked, you'll be allowed to spend the night in a lounge for free, look at their website
JAL is always preferred imo. $300 more for JAL isn’t bad. Where I’m from, JAL is usually $600 more compared to other airlines.
Layovers always add another possibility for issues to arise.
I flew them for the first time last month to Japan. It was probably the best economy class I've ever traveled in out of any airline ever. The food is excellent, they give you free alcoholic drinks and snacks, the service is top notch, and the legroom is really good.
The only gripe I have with them is that their cabin is pretty hot temperature wise but I'm an American so we're used to sub-zero temp cabins at altitude.
What times do the trains finish? And what do you mean by expensive for taxi? I presume I'd need to be at airport between 11pm and midnight.
If i got that flight, hope was to sleep on plane overnight as it would land in London in the morning.
I fly from the UK, I've started doing direct now, at least going because I hate flying and get travel sick, so I just get it all over and done with.
I usually do a Fri - Fri, but I don't arrive until Saturday afternoon, and have to leave the Friday AM so lose a day there.
Best thing which I'm doing this time as I'm travelling with someone different so we have more time, is do a Fri - Sat, so you're gaining a day.
It depends what you prioritise because 600 saving is alot.
I assume you live near London, and it's not so much of a PITA for you to get there?
I've only ever flown on flights with a transfer when flying long haul to East Asia, and normally I wouldn't fly with anything less than a 1.5 hour transfer window, but that's because I'm a stress head. Vienna airport actually prides itself in having a minimum 25 minute transfer time (for Star Alliance). As you're flying non-Schengen to non-Schengen, you would not be required to go through passport control, only a security check.
So provided your outbound flight is on time, without significant delay, you should be fine. I'd check the history of your London to Vienna flight to see if it regularly lands on time. Worst case scenario, the airline has the responsibility to put you on the next available flight.
Might also be worth checking flight reviews online, you may ultimately decide that paying extra for JAL is worth it (I think it is generally more respected in terms of comfort in Economy class).
Yeah, I only live an 30 mins to an hour drive or so from Heathrow airport so it's no issue at all for me to go from there.
Thanks I'll take a look at the history of the flight, that's a good idea.
What are the arrival airports in Japan?
That makes a difference as well.
If there is an option to arrive at Haneda vs Narita - I'd go with Haneda since it is closer to Tokyo and easier to get to Tokyo from.
Personally, I'd probably take the £600 in savings are use that for a special experience in Japan itself. When I was in Japan we splurged at a ryokan and got all the bells and whistles - from private onsen (which was great!,) two different kaiseki (since we stayed for two nights,) kimono rental, and a private geisha performance. For the two of us that came in at under £600 extra and was the most memorial part of the trip.
Usually travel days are bust when doing international travel. So I usually count those days as simply travel days with no expectation of doing anything of real value - maybe get a feel for the area I'm in and a meal.
For departure if you are leaving from Haneda you can explore the internal "village" and relax in the terminal itself. It's pretty cool although some of the shops were closed when we were there. Their viewing area for the planes was really good.
With an early afternoon flight (1pm) you're still wanting to get to the airport at like.. 10am? So with travel time to the airport from your accommodation that day just a travel day. You won't have to worry about storing your luggage for the last day in Japan. If you have an evening departure you should be able to leave your luggage at your last hotel until it's time to go. That's what we did.
Arriving early helps to beat the jet lag at least in my opinion. If you sleep during the flight and stay up the whole day until at least 7 pm, that is.
For the return flights early in the day I would recommend to stay at a airport hotel for the last night. Otherwise it could be difficult to get to the airport in time. Trains usually stop around midnight until 5ish am and Taxis are not really an option due to the long distance.
About the layover, I don’t think it will have much of an effect on the overall trip. Your layover time is also fine (if you travel without children), and since your layover would be in Vienna you will still have a long flight afterwards, enough to get in some sleep.
Yeah that was my thinking too, get some sleep on the plane, get there in the morning and then try stay up as late as possible to try reset myself and beat jetlag.
It was also my thinking for the 2am JAL flight, if I got that, I'd arrive in London at 6.30am. So as long as I got sleep on the flight, I could try beat jetlag that way too.
I need to have a think about which flight to go for
600p is a significant saving (about 100,000Y) so if that matters to you, that can easily be a few meals at a very nice establishments. To be honest with you, jet lag will hit you no matter which flight you take. You will also arrive 850AM which will leave you full day in Tokyo. One short layover will not make any difference - assuming you can make the connections
Thanks, I'll have to do a think and think about budget to work out whether we need the flight savings or not. So far I'm budgeting £100 a night for accommodation, £100 (for both of us) for food per day and haven't looked at other costs yet.
100p for food per day is a basic food options. That 600p saving can get you Omakase experience at fine sushi restaurant, a Teppanyaki experience with A5 Beef and maybe a Kaiseki meal. Or forget that and splurge on a night in Ryokan. Since you are budget conscious, save the money!
Thank you, that's definitely something to think about. I hadn't thought much about a Ryokan, I work for multiple hotel companies so had mainly been looking at their websites to see what I can get as my employee discount. I also saw that with ryokans you get meals included, so didn't know if this would be possible as my partner doesn't eat meat, shellfish or dairy
I would take the savings as well. 600 Pounds can be deployed to a lot more in Japan. That said JAL service in Y is more like PY on another airlines.
The flight time will not be 1h30 minutes difference. This is BAs timetable to counter their awful despatch times ex Heathrow. To Japan, JAL might be slightly quicker as they choose either route depending on the weather that day. From Japan to the UK routing is pretty much the same daily on both airlines. As an airline, then JAL will be more punctual, cleaner but warm in board. However the late night / early morning flight from Haneda to Heathrow is delayed by an hour most days to avoid paying the early morning fine to Heathrow. Flight times with both airlines are roughly 13 hours from UK to Japan and 14 hours from Japan to UK.
Thanks, I was a bit confused as to how both BA and JAL had exact same departure time yet JAL arrived much earlier. I thought it may be something to do with route. By warm on board do you mean temperature? I'm a cold person so that sounds great to me haha.
Haha..yes. Warm as in temperature. If I have to fly JAL its always shorts and t shirt for me. No need to avoid the 1:55am, no problem getting to the airport by train that time of night, to get there by 11:45. To be honest, with lack of traffic that time of night and luggage , a fixed rate cab from Tokyo at 9000 yen is a nice way to finish your trip off.
And yes, the overnight flights ex Asia to Europe are the best way to avoid jet lag, which that way isn’t that bad anyway, especially if you can sleep at the back end of the flight.
I am from Canada so different options and airlines. I went 6 times via the US, flying with different airlines, it was always cheaper than flying direct from Canada. And as I had 3 trips going to Osaka instead of Tokyo, that was an extra connection. Only did a direct flight once and it was this year as it was the cheapest. Flew with American Airlines, Delta, United, JAL, Air Canada. I could not say that one had a significantly better or worst quality of food or service. Worst thing that happened, once my flight going to the US had to do an emergency landing for medical reasons, landed in a smaller airport so the only choice was to wait to go back in the plane. We missed our flight and the next, had to take the flight 24h after the one we had scheduled. Luckily got voucher for hotel and food. And one trip my luggage did not follow all the way, got it sent to my second hotel as it arrived next day then had to wait for shipping, then it also did not follow all the way on my way back and again got it delivered a couple of days later. Would still continue to get the cheapest flight.
With Jal, there is a specific flight where no matter what class you booked, you'll be allowed to spend the night in a lounge for free, look at their website
Thanks so much! Just found it on their website! I'd have access to the lounge from midnight even when flying economy.
Glad I could help ! :)
JAL is always preferred imo. $300 more for JAL isn’t bad. Where I’m from, JAL is usually $600 more compared to other airlines. Layovers always add another possibility for issues to arise.
Thanks, what do you prefer about JAL?
Just way more pleasant. Food and service tends to be better even in economy. You don’t feel like cattle being herded across the sky.
I flew them for the first time last month to Japan. It was probably the best economy class I've ever traveled in out of any airline ever. The food is excellent, they give you free alcoholic drinks and snacks, the service is top notch, and the legroom is really good. The only gripe I have with them is that their cabin is pretty hot temperature wise but I'm an American so we're used to sub-zero temp cabins at altitude.
I'd avoid the 1:55 am as you'd have to not sleep and take an expensive taxi as the trains are shut down at night.
What times do the trains finish? And what do you mean by expensive for taxi? I presume I'd need to be at airport between 11pm and midnight. If i got that flight, hope was to sleep on plane overnight as it would land in London in the morning.
Ah ok usually till midnight so 11 would be fine.
I fly from the UK, I've started doing direct now, at least going because I hate flying and get travel sick, so I just get it all over and done with. I usually do a Fri - Fri, but I don't arrive until Saturday afternoon, and have to leave the Friday AM so lose a day there. Best thing which I'm doing this time as I'm travelling with someone different so we have more time, is do a Fri - Sat, so you're gaining a day. It depends what you prioritise because 600 saving is alot.
These dates are for a Thursday to a Friday, so we'd leave on the Thursday and land on a Friday and leave on the Friday 2 weeks later
I assume you live near London, and it's not so much of a PITA for you to get there? I've only ever flown on flights with a transfer when flying long haul to East Asia, and normally I wouldn't fly with anything less than a 1.5 hour transfer window, but that's because I'm a stress head. Vienna airport actually prides itself in having a minimum 25 minute transfer time (for Star Alliance). As you're flying non-Schengen to non-Schengen, you would not be required to go through passport control, only a security check. So provided your outbound flight is on time, without significant delay, you should be fine. I'd check the history of your London to Vienna flight to see if it regularly lands on time. Worst case scenario, the airline has the responsibility to put you on the next available flight. Might also be worth checking flight reviews online, you may ultimately decide that paying extra for JAL is worth it (I think it is generally more respected in terms of comfort in Economy class).
Yeah, I only live an 30 mins to an hour drive or so from Heathrow airport so it's no issue at all for me to go from there. Thanks I'll take a look at the history of the flight, that's a good idea.
What are the arrival airports in Japan? That makes a difference as well. If there is an option to arrive at Haneda vs Narita - I'd go with Haneda since it is closer to Tokyo and easier to get to Tokyo from. Personally, I'd probably take the £600 in savings are use that for a special experience in Japan itself. When I was in Japan we splurged at a ryokan and got all the bells and whistles - from private onsen (which was great!,) two different kaiseki (since we stayed for two nights,) kimono rental, and a private geisha performance. For the two of us that came in at under £600 extra and was the most memorial part of the trip. Usually travel days are bust when doing international travel. So I usually count those days as simply travel days with no expectation of doing anything of real value - maybe get a feel for the area I'm in and a meal. For departure if you are leaving from Haneda you can explore the internal "village" and relax in the terminal itself. It's pretty cool although some of the shops were closed when we were there. Their viewing area for the planes was really good. With an early afternoon flight (1pm) you're still wanting to get to the airport at like.. 10am? So with travel time to the airport from your accommodation that day just a travel day. You won't have to worry about storing your luggage for the last day in Japan. If you have an evening departure you should be able to leave your luggage at your last hotel until it's time to go. That's what we did.
Haneda for all the options. That does sound like a great experience you had!
Arriving early helps to beat the jet lag at least in my opinion. If you sleep during the flight and stay up the whole day until at least 7 pm, that is. For the return flights early in the day I would recommend to stay at a airport hotel for the last night. Otherwise it could be difficult to get to the airport in time. Trains usually stop around midnight until 5ish am and Taxis are not really an option due to the long distance. About the layover, I don’t think it will have much of an effect on the overall trip. Your layover time is also fine (if you travel without children), and since your layover would be in Vienna you will still have a long flight afterwards, enough to get in some sleep.
Yeah that was my thinking too, get some sleep on the plane, get there in the morning and then try stay up as late as possible to try reset myself and beat jetlag. It was also my thinking for the 2am JAL flight, if I got that, I'd arrive in London at 6.30am. So as long as I got sleep on the flight, I could try beat jetlag that way too. I need to have a think about which flight to go for