Airfare and plane info needed out of Tokyo to Chicago

[musicisgood]

I 'd like to know what airlines fly to Chicago or Moline, Illinois. For some reason I'm not having good results and also the prices are as high as 350000 yen round trip. Seems like the prices have gone out the roof.
Also, my credit card limit is only 100000 yen. It looks like I have to go to a travel agency to pay cash for any tickets. I found out that JAL charges a 10 percent commission on its plane tickets. Never heard of that before.
Need a little help on this. Most likely looking after May 18th and so on.
Thanks in advance.

 

[mdchachi]

I 'd like to know what airlines fly to Chicago or Moline, Illinois. For some reason I'm not having good results and also the prices are as high as 350000 yen round trip. Seems like the prices have gone out the roof.
Also, my credit card limit is only 100000 yen. It looks like I have to go to a travel agency to pay cash for any tickets. I found out that JAL charges a 10 percent commission on its plane tickets. Never heard of that before.
Need a little help on this. Most likely looking after May 18th and so on.
Thanks in advance.

What is the departure airport?

 

[nice gaijin]

Go to google flights and search Tokyo to Chicago, but don't specify the airport unless you have to fly out from a specific one. Both of those are major hubs and should be the cheapest flights, but if Moline is your final destination you could test that as well.

When choosing your departure and return dates it should show the prices on the calendar and they aren't all that bad, average is 1-1.6k USD. I'm seeing cathay Pacific for under a grand and EVA for less than 700 (both have a long layover so total travel time is high, but if price is more important than time, there you go)

The weak yen is going to kill you on the exchange, but there isn't much you can do about that

 

[musicisgood]

What is the departure airport?

I can depart from Fukuoka or Ube in Yamaguchi.Ube is more convenient. If possible I like to depart at the end of March cuz I think with airplane fares are cheaper but either way March April or May.

Thanks a lot

 

[musicisgood]

Go to google flights and search Tokyo to Chicago, but don't specify the airport unless you have to fly out from a specific one. Both of those are major hubs and should be the cheapest flights, but if Moline is your final destination you could test that as well.

When choosing your departure and return dates it should show the prices on the calendar and they aren't all that bad, average is 1-1.6k USD. I'm seeing cathay Pacific for under a grand and EVA for less than 700 (both have a long layover so total travel time is high, but if price is more important than time, there you go)

The weak yen is going to kill you on the exchange, but there isn't much you can do about that

Wow I've been looking at $3,500 with j a l.
Actually I never heard of Google flights so I'm going to try that real soon but I'm probably really have to go to Ube because my credit card limit is only 100000 yen so it's have to really pay cash so I don't really know how to do it.
I want to visit for one week haven't been back to Illinois for many years for my mother is 93 years old and I want to see her try to do some other traveling this year.

 

[thomas]

Nice gaijin suggested searching for "Tokyo to Chicago" using Google search. Although I have no doubt there will, one day, be a "Google Flights" service.

Lots of cheaper options available:

 

[nice gaijin]

Google has a flight search engine that I've found comparable to or better deals than other travel engines at times. You don't book through google, but it aggregates a lot of options. I like to use these travel engines to get an idea of what the cost will be and who the best options will be (for price, travel time, number of layovers, whatever other variables I value), then I'll go directly to the airline and see if it's cheapest to book direct or use a service.

Google Travel

www.google.com

I'm inputting hypothetical dates a few months out, and I'm consistently seeing the lowest prices from Cathay Pacific and EVA.

 

[johnnyG]

We're going r/t NRT-ORD later June, ANA economy, nonstop. I think ¥275,000 each, but that includes a slight surcharge for seats at the front of that section.

United flies the same route, code share, but there's no way I'd take them. And also no desire for a stop/change, not the west coast or any other US stop. And not via ICN or Taipei, either.

 

[musicisgood]

Nice gaijin suggested searching for "Tokyo to Chicago" using Google search. Although I have no doubt there will, one day, be a "Google Flights" service.

Lots of cheaper options available:

View attachment 112635

Hey thanks for the information really appreciate it really having a difficult time for a couple reasons my credit card is only allowed 100,000 yen so I really have to go to the counter and pay cash I don't know how to do this but anyway my plan is to get to my hometown which is Moline so who knows.

 

[nice gaijin]

Well, Moline is 160 miles from Chicago, about 2 and a half hours by car. I'd say it'd be worth it to rent a car or ask for someone to come pick you up at ORD, cause it looks like flights from Tokyo to Moline are over $2k

The low limit on your credit card is a hurdle if that's your only line of credit, especially with the exchange rate that doesn't amount to much at all. I'd look to see if family can help you out

 

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

The discount air ticket of Chicago is May 18 from Fukuoka who can make a reservation now. It is 91,500 yen.

Flights from Fukuoka to Chicago | Trip.com

Browse flight times and tickets, save a maximum of 55% on flights booked on Trip.com from Fukuoka to Chicago. Search cheap flight tickets from Fukuoka to Chicago on Trip.com, and get great savings on Trip.com.

www.trip.com

• It is economy class in LCC.
  Fukuoka → Okinawa → Taipei → Chicago
  It takes 41 hours, too.
• As you think that baggage is charged, please confirm it.

 

[nice gaijin]

The discount air ticket of Chicago is May 18 from Fukuoka who can make a reservation now. It is 91,500 yen.

Flights from Fukuoka to Chicago | Trip.com

Browse flight times and tickets, save a maximum of 55% on flights booked on Trip.com from Fukuoka to Chicago. Search cheap flight tickets from Fukuoka to Chicago on Trip.com, and get great savings on Trip.com.

www.trip.com

• It is economy class in LCC.
  Fukuoka → Okinawa → Taipei → Chicago
  It takes 41 hours, too.
• As you think that baggage is charged, please confirm it.

hot dog! that's under $620 at the current exchange rate (~148 yen to the dollar), that's less than I've EVER spent for a round trip ticket between Tokyo and California.

41 hours and two layovers sounds like a nightmare if you aren't able to leave the airport, or if you have a lot of luggage or need to check it back in (sometimes happens when you mix local or low cost carriers with international flights).

 

[salyavin]

hot dog! that's under $620 at the current exchange rate (~148 yen to the dollar), that's less than I've EVER spent for a round trip ticket between Tokyo and California.

41 hours and two layovers sounds like a nightmare if you aren't able to leave the airport, or if you have a lot of luggage or need to check it back in (sometimes happens when you mix local or low cost carriers with international flights).

Beats me too but I came close I got $650 many years ago maybe almost 20, Denver to LA to Narita and back. You have to time it right and be very flexible with timing.

However if we are only talking between Tokyo and California https://www.zipair.net/en I can get $537.30 it has no connections to other airlines which made it hard for us (Nagasaki, Denver, small child) but we will likely be using it in the future.

 

[nice gaijin]

Beats me too but I came close I got $650 many years ago maybe almost 20, Denver to LA to Narita and back. You have to time it right and be very flexible with timing.

However if we are only talking between Tokyo and California https://www.zipair.net/en I can get $537.30 it has no connections to other airlines which made it hard for us (Nagasaki, Denver, small child) but we will likely be using it in the future.

Yeah I used zipair last year since they started flying from SFO. I'd prefer Haneda but the price was pretty good (even with the inevitable add-ons), and the plane was new and relatively comfortable; a better experience than most LCCs I've flown so far.

The only downside I see is if you're connecting to a different airport in Japan you'll have to transfer and re-check your luggage.

 

[salyavin]

Yea I am aware of the recheck luggage in our case twice (once in SFO and again at NRT) which is why we did not use them last year, and we have to take transportation from Narita to Haneda to get to Nagasaki (Omura) or take a train from Fukuoka. Family is too old to pick us up in Fukuoka like they used to. Still with the price we will likely start using it soon.

Appreciate sharing your experience. I know many at the japanese school our son goes to use zipair, many are from Tokyo area so much easier.