Planning a trip to Hokkaido on a tight budget? Hey, I’ve got you covered. Flight costs take up a big chunk of travel expenses. That’s why it’s important to save on your air tickets for a wallet-friendly trip.
In this article, I will walk you through everything you need to know about booking cheaper flights to Hokkaido for your dream trip.
Let’s dive in!
Useful Resources
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How to Book Flights to Hokkaido
There are several airlines operating in Hokkaido, which we will go through below. To book a cheap flight ticket to Hokkaido, it’s important to compare these airlines’ airfares on your planned travel date.
My go-to tool is Skyscanner. This website allows you to compare flight prices from more than 1,2000 airlines and travel providers. Every month, 100 million travelers around the world use Skyscanner to search for their flight tickets.
Want to know the prices for your destination in mind? Check it out here.
Image: Skyscanner
Flight Routes & Airlines Flying to Hokkaido
To go to Hokkaido by airplane, you have two options - taking an international flight directly to Hokkaido, or taking a domestic flight to Hokkaido from Tokyo, Osaka, or other airports.
We will not cover travel to Hokkaido by train and ferry in this article, as they are much less common means of transportation and takes much longer hours to get to Hokkaido.
Direct International Flights to Hokkaido
New Chitose Airport near Sapporo is the only international airport in Hokkaido. Direct international flights to New Chitose Airport are available from these countries. (Note that some of the routes might not be operating at the moment. )
Singapore
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Bangkok, Thailand
Manila, the Philippines
Taipei, Taiwan
Seoul, Busan, and Daegu, South Korea
Beijing, Shanghai, and many other cities in China
Honolulu, Hawaii, the U.S.
Helsinki, Finland
Is taking a Direct International Flight Cheaper than Transferring with a Domestic Flight?
It depends. For example, Scoot, a Singaporean low-cost airline, offers a direct flight from Singapore to Sapporo often for a lower price than any other airline with a transfer.
However, if you are traveling from Bangkok, the direct flight to Sapporo operated by Thai Airways tends to be more expensive than a one-stop flight route with low-cost airlines.
A huge advantage of taking a direct flight is saving travel time. If you are on a tight schedule, it’s definitely worth spending extra on your air ticket to get more free time during your trip.
Domestic Flights to Hokkaido
If you don’t have a choice of a direct flight, or if you are flying into other airports than New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, you will have to make a transfer in Tokyo, Osaka, or other airports and take a domestic flight to your destinations in Hokkaido.
Here is a list of five airlines — JAL, ANA, AirDo, Peach, and JetStar — and the airports they are flying to in Hokkaido.
1. JAL
JAL (Japan Airlines) is one of the two major Japanese airlines operating around Japan and the world. Along with ANA, their airfares are often more expensive than the other airlines, but they provide the highest-quality services for passengers.
Price Range
A ticket from Tokyo to Sapporo is usually around 10,000 to 30,000 yen depending on the season.
Flights to Hokkaido
From Tokyo Haneda Airport to New Chitose (Sapporo), Memanbetsu, Asahikawa, Kushiro, Obihiro, Hakodate, Risirhi
From Osaka Itami and Kansai International Airports, Narita, Nagoya, and many other places to New Chitose (Sapporo)
2. ANA
ANA (All Nippon Airways) is another major Japanese airline. It is similar to JAL in terms of services, flight routes, and prices. If you need to decide between JAL and ANA flights, you can choose whichever fits your travel schedule or mileage program better.
Price Range
ANA has similar pricing to JAL, ranging from around 10,000 to 30,000 yen depending on the season.
Flights to Hokkaido
From Tokyo Haneda Airport to New Chitose (Sapporo), Memanbetsu, Mombetsu, Kushiro, Obihiro, Hakodate, Wakkanai, Nakashibetsu,
From Osaka Itami and Kansai International Airports, Narita, Nagoya, and many other places to New Chitose (Sapporo) and Asahikawa
3. AirDo
AirDo is ANA’s subsidiary airline that focuses on Hokkaido, operating flights to 6 airports in Hokkaido. It’s fun to check out their in-flight services which feature a lot of Hokkaido. For example, the in-flight magazine is a good resource for destinations in Hokkaido. Onion soup made in Kitami, a city in Eastern Hokkaido, is available in the drink service. If you want to feel Hokkaido even before getting there, fly with AirDo!
Price Range
AirDo is generally cheaper than JAL and ANA, but more expensive than low-cost airlines that we will look into in the following sections.
Flights to Hokkaido
From Tokyo Haneda Airport to New Chitose (Sapporo), Memanbetsu, Asahikawa, Kushiro, Obihiro, Hakodate
From Sendai, Nagoya, Kobe, and Fukuoka to New Chitose (Sapporo)
4. Peach
Peach, a subsidiary of ANA, is the biggest low-cost airline in Japan. They fly to three major airports in Hokkaido. While their plane seats tend to be smaller than other airlines introduced above, they often have cheaper ticket prices.
What I like about Peach is that they have sales several times a year, offering big discounts. We will learn more about these sales later in this article.
Just like any other low-cost airline, Peach charges extra on check-in luggage and is strict about the weight limitation of both check-in and carry-on luggage. Pack light if you are taking a Peach flight!
Price Range
Departing from Tokyo Narita Airport, standard prices start from 4,990 yen to Sapporo, 5,590 yen to Memanbetsu, and 5,390 yen to Kushiro. You might find cheaper tickets during their sales.
Flights to Hokkaido
From Tokyo Narita Airport to New Chitose (Sapporo), Memanbetsu, and Kushiro
From Knasai International Airport to New Chitose (Sapporo), Memanbetsu, and Kushiro
From Nagoya, Sendai, Fukuoka, and Okinawa to New Chitose (Sapporo)
5. JetStar
Born in Australia, JetStar is another low-cost airline that flies to Hokkaido. Although they operate only two flight routes to one airport in Hokkaido, their cheap pricing is popular among budget travelers. JetStar could be a good option if you are traveling to Sapporo.
Price Range
JetStar’s tickets start from 3,980 yen per flight. The airline guarantees that its lowest fares are 10% cheaper than other airlines and travel agencies’ prices found on their websites.
Flights to Hokkaido
From Tokyo Narita Airport to New Chitose (Sapporo)
From Kansai International Airport to New Chitose (Sapporo)
5 Easy Tips to Book Cheap Flights to Hokkaido
Here are 5 useful tips to book cheap flights to go to Hokkaido.
Book as early as possible
Watch out for big sales of low-cost airlines
Avoid high seasons & Japanese holidays
Bring only carry-on with low-cost airlines
Check last-minute tickets
1. Book as Early as Possible
Plane tickets get more expensive closer to the departure date. So book your tickets as early as possible. JAL, ANA, and AirDo offer various levels of discounts for advanced booking. Their tickets are cheapest when booked at least 75 days in advance, and the price increases in each timeline of 45, 28, and 21 days before the departure date.
When you book tickets as early as 75 days in advance, these airlines could be as cheap as low-cost airlines. However, there are some downsides too.
A limited number of seats applicable to this advance booking price system
Non-changeable
Expensive cancellation fee
The same goes for Peach and EasyJet. They don’t have fixed days for their pricing like JAL and ANA, but their prices change depending on the number of remaining seats and the time until the departure - the system called “dynamic pricing”.
Try to avoid last-minute planning, and make sure to spend enough time researching bookings for your trip. The earlier you plan your trip, the more options you will have for not only flights, but also hotels, rental cars, and activity tours.
Check air ticket offers now to get the best price!
2. Watch Out for Big Sales of Low-Cost Airlines
Want to get your tickets even cheaper? Then make sure to check flight sales from Peach and JetStar, the two low-cost airlines flying to Hokkaido. They offer quite good deals.
For example, Peach had an end-of-year sale in December 2022 on both international and domestic flights scheduled between January and June 2023. Here are some deals from the big campaign.
Image: Peach
Peach has its sales at random times for a limited period of time (24 hours or 48 hours), as well as around major seasonal events, For example;
Happy New Year sale in January
Golden Week sale in May
Early summer sale in June
Summer holiday sale in July
Christmas sale in December
JetStar tends to have sales about two months before low seasons to better fill up seats. They often take place on Friday evenings Japan time.
How to get information about these sales? The easiest way is to sign up for the airlines’ newsletter or follow them on social media. You want to start getting information from them at least 6 months before your planned trip to aim for a sale that is applicable to your travel period.
You can also sign up for my newsletter and follow my Eastern Hokkaido Travel Group on Facebook, where I share airline sale dates and other useful travel tips!
3. Avoid High Seasons & Japanese Holidays
Air tickets get more expensive when demand is high. The high season in Hokkaido is summer, especially from late June to late August. While this is the best time to enjoy beautiful nature and outdoor activities, you might want to consider avoiding this season if you’re on a budget. Hotels tend to increase their prices during summer as well.
There are also other important dates of Japanese holidays and special events you should keep in mind. Airfares tend to be more expensive around these times.
Around New Year
Sapporo Snow Festival - early February
Spring school break - from late March to early April
Golden Week* - from the end of April to early May
Sapporo Yosakoi Festival - early June
Summer holidays - mid-August
Silver Week* - late September
*Golden Week and Silver Week are week-long holidays including several Japanese national holidays combined with weekends.
So, When is good?
Considering all of the above, here are the times when you have a high chance of getting cheap prices.
Mid-January to mid-March
Mid-April
Mid-May to mid-June
October to mid-December
Also, try to travel on weekdays if possible - weekends are more expensive in general.
4. Bring Only Carry-On with Low-Cost Airlines
Some airlines charge extra fees on your check-in luggage. Especially, if you are flying with the cheapest fare category of a low-cost airline, which usually doesn’t include the free check-in luggage option, you will have to pay for checking in your suitcase.
For example, Peach charges 1,950 yen for one additional check-in luggage if you decide to add it when you are making a booking online. Be aware of the timing - the price increases to 2,490 yen after you make a booking, and to 3,050 yen at the airport counter.
Also, check-in luggage over 20 kg will get charged an extra 1,850 yen. With Peach, you are allowed to bring to the airplane only two pieces of personal baggage that are less than 7 kg. The airline often weighs your carry-ons and charges you if they are over 7 kg, so be careful.
Make sure to pack within the weight limit to avoid any unnecessary charges!
5. Check Last-Minute Tickets
JAL, ANA, and AirDo sell some last-minute tickets when there are seats available 1, 3, and 7 days prior to the departure date. They are sold at about 30% cheaper than a regular ticket price.
Don’t give up even if you are planning a last-minute trip - there might be some reasonable tickets on offer! An easy way to find deals from various airlines is to use a tool like Skyscanner.
THAT’S ALL!
Hope you enjoyed this article. I’d love to hear from you, whether it’s feedback or questions - Reach out to me on my Facebook page or Instagram. We also have Eastern Hokkaido Travel Group on Facebook where you can ask questions or share experiences about trips to Eastern Hokkaido. Join us!
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