Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Cheap Travel from South Korea to Japan

Here's the question:


How can I buy a plane ticket through Jeju Air?I can read hangeul, but still understand very little. I have been on their website (of which they do not have an english language version) and see -or think I see- that they have cheap flights to Osaka. Much cheaper than Korean Air and Japan Airlines. I don't know if I will be able to navigate my way through purchasing a ticket online because of the language difficulty, plus I am worried that like many other websites, you will not be able to purchase it with your alien registration number. Do you know if there is any way around
this? For example is there perhaps a Jeju Air office in Seoul I could go to? Or a travel agency?


James


Surprising as it may sound, I found an eHow article on "How to Book Travel on Jeju Air". Lucky I guess, but it doesn't specifically address your request for a flight to Japan. Also interesting at the bottom of that page was this info under "Tips and Warnings".

* Jeju is also called Cheju, depending on the translation.

* This airline does not offer a Web site in English. There is no way for English speakers to book with them directly. If you would like to learn more about the airline, try an online translation engine.

* Consider Jeju Air's domestic challengers for the South Korean market, Hansung Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. Hansung Airlines, another low-fare air service, runs most of the same routes as Jeju Air. Compare prices to get the best deal.

* Jeju Air only caters to South Korean domestic flights. Korean Air and Asiana Airlines are the Korean air services available for international travel. Their Web sites will have English translations

All of that seems pretty upsetting, however, let's follow that articles lead first. Jeju Air is based out of Gimpo Airport, so one would think that visiting the airport and purchasing tickets would be the best way to do it by yourself .You mentioned that you found a flight to Osaka, and contrary to what eHow said, I also found flights from Incheon to Osaka. I only saw domestic flights going between Gimpo, Jeju, Busan and Cheongju. I'm not sure about the ARC, so if you are close to Gimpo, I would suggest stopping by and seeing what you can dig up, but it looks like you'll have to go to Incheon.

I went to the Gimpo Airport website and did a little search. It showed me four flights leaving from Gimpo to Osaka (Kinsei). The main carriers are mostly national flag carriers, so they're going to be pricey. I think your best options, aside from camping out at the airport in hopes of jumping on stand-by, would be to look into some travel agents or even consider taking the boat. The travel agent that stands out to me has always been Xanadu. They're based in Itaewon and always have really good deals and packages, plus they speak English very well.

Start with them first and then go down the list of other options.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

11 comments:

daeguowl said...

You can book flights to Osaka on the Jeju Air website or via telephone but if you don't speak Korean you'll need help. Not sure whether the ARC number will work or not.

daeguowl said...

Oh and current fares were running from KRW180,000 return...

Unknown said...

Thanks for your post. I am looking for info regarding cheap international air ticket to India and Thailand. Hope you can help with that.

Jhon Stephen said...

Stop to looking for other than cheap international air ticket. It saves you money.

strip said...

Very important tips & warning for finding the cheap travel

travel to india said...

Good new for South Koreans who want s to visit Japan..Thanks for sharing such a nice information

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