Just received an email from Qantas advising they've launched a direct route between Sydney/Canberra and Osaka, Japan. The sale price is $699 (economy) for the below travel periods:
Thu 14 Dec 2017–Sun 31 Dec 2017
Mon 8 Jan 2018–Sun 25 Mar 2018
Perfect for cherry blossom season :) Perfect for visiting Osaka on a direct flight :)
Agreed. We were there until 29 March and they were only a few days away from coming out.
Oh sorry, I thought maybe you could catch the beginning of it but it doesn't look likely from the average bloom chart moocher posted :( I've fixed the post
If you head south you may see the beginning of it
Super cheap for Snow!
$2000 for Dec 18th till 5th Jan
Can't find the cheap tickets you mentioned 23/12 to 31/12
Yeah I think you'll need to play around with the dates to find the cheapest fares :(
Cheaper on iwantthatflight.com.au btw! I just tried test dates 10/03 - 24/03 and got $654
i agree i played around with the date on qantas website no return for the advertised price $699
I try to find dates that I want..
feb 2018
cant see any direct flights
only 3 flights a week, so try another day of the week
yeah I figured that out afterwards
Damn - cannot find any business class reward seats on the date I am after. Will have to keep checking to see if they eventually open up.
Why business reward seat?
Because I like flying business class and paying very little money for it.
Hi all, please note the new flights are only available on monday, thursday and saturday, so pick around those days.
FYI
These flights operate on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
Monday: 0930-1725
Thursday/Saturday: 1325-2120
Monday: 1855-0645
Thursday/Saturday: 2250-1040
I'm looking at dates in Feb-2018 and it looks like the Thursday flights land in Osaka at 5:25pm while the Mon/Sat flights land at 9:20pm
This is excellent, love Osaka and have wanted to fly directly there without having to transit via Tokyo this whole time!
Lovely deal, thank OP, just curious though what sites do you all use for cheaper flights? (I use google flights)
Yeh I noticed these prices are not on Google Flights. They do appear on Momondo and Skyscanner though.
Yes, I thought sometimes the price would appear on Google flights, but you have to double check the pricing
Damnnnnnnnnnnnn, not the dates that I want :'(
Awesome prices for snow season on a premium airline. Same price as Jetstar and it already comes with 30kg baggage and free oversize baggage I'm pretty sure.
Might be worth mentioning in the title that the $699 price also applies to Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Adelaide too (although they have to stop through Sydney).
3 weeks in japan too long?
It's never too long to be in Osaka+Kyoto ..Lots of places to visit or even just wondering around..
Thanks! Booked :)
Absolutely not. I spent approx. 4 weeks and started from Sapporo and finished in Osaka. Lots of places to visit.
My personal favourite part was visiting Yamanouchi (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6025.html).
Enjoy!
Looks great! We didn't get to an onsen in December, a shame we missed it.
Such a great experience, especially the private outdoor onsen. I stayed at a place called Shimaya Ryokan which was actually quite cheap and the owners were lovely.
Booked from 25/12 to 1/1 for $664.5 via bestjet
Domo goes to japan!!
Short trip!
Same flight is now $1k :(
I saw that earlier, hope they honour it.
Received my e-ticket :D
Well done! I wanted something around the same time but missed out :(
You snooze you lose!
When I book flight from Brisbane I have an overnight stop at Sydney before morning flight to Osaka. Do you know if I'm entitled for some kind of a hotel near airport or do I have to sleep in waiting area with other fellow european backpackers (LOL)?
Oh crap just realised this as well… dammit looks like I'll have to find a hotel nearby. Didn't receive anything regarding a free hotel stay
Ahh via Sydney. That's a first. Good travel dates too
Fyi direct only goes to Kansai airport and not Itami which is closer to Osaka city.
Kansai is about an hour away compared to Itami which is about 35 mins away
The Rapit α train takes 34 minutes from the Kansai airport to Namba - very very close to the main tourist areas - Dotonbori etc. Used it a few times, very handy.
Not bad ex-Hobart either if you are flexible on dates (I picked 5 - 12 Feb as an example).
A quick look and I can see return flights for $810 and there's probably cheaper.
If you arrive at 22:50 on Thursday's and Saturdays, and if you add the additional 1 hour or so (because of customs?! etc.), would it mean that you won't be able to catch a train or bus to the central/city?! because i think trains stop running after midnight. Does that mean i'll have to sleep at the airport? :DD
The arrival time to KIX on Thursday and Saturday is 21.20. Plenty of time before the last train at 23.55.
22.50 is the departure time for the return flight to Sydney.
Incidentally, I have missed the last train and last bus (before they had the night bus service) at KIX due to a delayed flight once before. I wandered around the entire terminal and ended up sleeping on a bench for about two hours. I was too cheap to pay the fee for the relaxation lounge. About 4000 yen would have got me a recliner chair in a private booth and a shower in the morning.
How much do we expect to spend per night for the hotel/airbnb/whatsoever that's kids friendly yet budget friendly?
Trying to book Melbourne from 21st December till 30th December, yet it still shows $700+ each way?
yeah same here - couldn't find the advertised price for 14dec - 31 dec in qantas website.
There were cheap tickets available at 230pm, I booked Sydney to Osaka return 16 Dec to 1 Jan for $699 pp and checked back at 430pm and noticed all the cheap fares had gone and prices jumped up to circa $700 each way, supply and demand…maybe try some other dates?
Thanks OP. Been wanting to go to Japan for a few years now, finally booked the flights :)
Thanks OP, that is a cracker of a deal. Just booked 3 weeks in March! Woo woo
I can find any deals this low anymore anytime through January, likely that they're all sold out?
yup supply and demand man
I'll let you know that it is not perfect for Cherry Blossoms. You will see some, but full bloom likely won't be until early April, as it was this year (2017). If only those darn sales only covered an extra week…
Otherwise, that is a cracka of price.