$360 First Class To Japan!

One of the best travel deals I’ve ever gotten was flying to Japan in First class. The trip was an around the world trip with every leg being first class except one- that is until I was upgraded to first class.

I had an SFO-KIX flight to Japan for some Archeological field work in June of 2019. I was looking at tickets for a few days when I found a flight to Singapore with a layover in Osaka. I did not need to purchase baggage as I travel with carry on only. Naturally I opted to not purchase a seat as I figured I would just get to the airport early and ask nicely for a decent seat.

This flight was only $360 USD. Total.

I did not let this deal slip through my fingers and I jumped on it immediately. Singapore air code share United metal. They must’ve been trying to fill their planes, and I was happy to help them with a price as low as that for a flight across the Pacific. I usually do not book tickets through third parties, but this time I did as the deal was just too good to pass up. Nervously, I waited for the day to arrive, hopping my third party tickets would work out without a hiccup.

Back in the lab – as departure day neared- my colleagues and I discussed our tickets and the prices we paid. I must admit, they were slightly impressed with my fare deal, although I did only get a one way. This added some flexibility as I wasn’t sure what my next move was going to be after our work finished in Japan.

When departure day for Osaka came I did what I always do. Pack a few hours before my flight, arrive to the airport cutting it very close, and check in just before the cut off time.

When I got to the airport I was the last one to check in for the flight, or so I was told. The very kind check in gals gave me a hard time since I only had a one way to Japan. I needed to prove I was going to leave Japan. I jumped on my phone and bought a rather expensive flight out of Japan for about two weeks later. I made sure to book directly through the airline, and made sure the ticket was refundable. Upon purchase and presentation of said purchase to the check in gals, I was issued a boarding pass. With pleasantries and a smile I was on my way to security.

When I glanced at my boarding pass I noticed that my seating was not designated. I had a feeling of what this meant as this was not my first rodeo.

Through security and waiting above my gate, I called and canceled the ticket I had just booked for a full refund. (Gotta love that 24hr rule).

Then it was just a matter of waiting at the gate for my flight to board and to be assigned a seat, or bumped, or upgraded.

When everyone boarded, there were just a few passengers waiting around. One by one we each were upgraded to first class.

I had lucked out.

By choosing to not buy a seat, and by showing up rather late to the airport, I finessed myself into first class. Few moments felt as good as sitting down in First class, knowing I paid less than $400 for the pleasure.

I got settled in right away. On this day in particular the idea of rum and coke seemed like the right call.

After a rum and coke or two it was meal time.

Then came the next course.

I enjoyed the food. I’m not a picky eater, so airplane food suits me fine. The abundance of food and alcohol is hard to not enjoy. Next came some cheese as dessert.

One of my all time favorite things to do is to watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on airplanes. Having a few drinks and good cheese makes the experience even better.

After my meal it was time to unwind and get ready for bed. I looked through the very expansive available movie list until I found a film by one of my favorite directors- Wes Anderson.

By now I was feeling the booze most definitely, and I had a very full stomach. I had the bed made and then turned in. When I woke up it was breakfast time.

I ate and got ready for landing. When we landed I departed quickly, and as always, walked very briskly to Immigration and Customs. There was almost no line, and I zipped through both. Not having to wait for luggage allowed me to instantly begin to enjoy Japan.

I was back, and it felt great.