Japan’s Budget Airlines
We all want to save money while traveling 💴, especially when it comes to booking flights. Without getting into flight miles and other savvy ways to save on travel, looking into budget airlines is always a great place to start!
Usually, you have to sacrifice something when it comes to budget airlines, whether it be less leg room or no inflight services. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about sacrificing safety. After all, budget airlines have to go through the same rigorous safety inspections as any other plane.
I’ve traveled around Japan going on four years now and flown airlines like ANA and Japan Airlines, I have also flown some of Japan’s budget airlines like Peach and Skymark. Flying around on Japan’s budget airlines within Japan, is relatively inexpensive and well organized with a lot of flight networks to cities all throughout Japan 🗾 whether it be to a snowy destination in Hokkaido Prefecture or a Tropical Paradise in Okinawa Prefecture, there are budget airlines in Japan that are a flight a way from getting you to your dream destination!
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When it comes to cheap airlines in Japan ✈️, there are a few low cost airlines that are highly regarded as some of the best budget airlines in Japan – Peach Aviation, Skymark Airlines, and Solaseed Air.
There are other budget airlines in Japan like Jetstar and StarFlyer, but I have not had the opportunity to fly with those low cost airlines, I hope to at some point.
I have flown the three main low cost airlines in Japan and would love to share some insight and additional information on Peach Aviation, Skymark Airlines, and Solaseed Air.
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Peach Aviation
Peach Aviation, often simplified as just Peach, is probably the most popular budget airline in Japan. Peach has three types of jets, the Airbus A320, Airbus A320neo, and the Airbus A321LR. The head office of Peach is at Osaka’s Kansai International Airport.
Peach flies all over Japan and even flies to a few international locations to include Shanghai, Hong Kong, Busan, Seoul, Kaohsiung, Taipei, and Bangkok.
You can visit the Peach website for more information about the airlines and to book flights.
Skymark Airlines
Skymark Airlines otherwise known as just Skymark is another low budget airline based out of Haneda Airport in Tokyo. I read on Wikipedia that Skymark is Japan’s first budget airline and is the largest independent airline. Airlines like Peach, are owned by larger companies such as ANA.
Skymark has had troubles throughout the years to include bankruptcy but have since rebounded and are doing very well.
Skymark flies throughout Japan and has added two international flights to Saipan and Palau since 2018.
One of my favorite features about Skymark is the Pikachu Jet. Skymark joined a programed called Pokémon Air Adventures. Their goal is for people to look up at the sky, and smile while seeing a Pikachu Jet flying above.
We got lucky and flew on their Pikachu Jet once. The headrest had Pikachu on them, the flight attendants had Pikachu swagger on, and Pikachu even made announcements through the intercom. We were also served Pikachu KitKats, which definitely put smiles on our faces!
You can view the Skymark Website for more information and bookings.
Solaseed Air
Solaseed Air or just Solaseed is a regional airline company based out of Miyazaki.
Solaseed is a smaller airline compared to other low budget airlines. Solaseed flies mainly throughout the island of Kyushu but there are also a few airports on Honshu and the Ryukyu Islands (Ishigaki and Naha) that Solaseed flies to.
For more information and bookings, visit the Solaseed Air website.
Ranking Japan's Budget Airlines from Best to Worst
Let’s be honest, I fly with whatever airline is flying to the destination I am traveling to and whichever airline is the cheapest 🛫. Because Peach flies all over Japan and generally has the cheapest rates, I have flown with Peach more then any other of Japan’s budget airlines. But just because I have flown with Peach more then the other low cost carriers doesn’t automatically make them my favorite airline to fly.
When flying on low budget airlines in Japan, I pay attention to comfort, consistency, and in flight services. Below are my personal rankings from best to worst regarding the three low budget airlines (Peach, Skymark, and Solaseed) outlined in this post.
Solaseed – As of now, Solaseed is my favorite budget airline in Japan. I flew with Solaseed from Naha to Ishigaki before heading to the island of Iriomote. Solaseed exceeded my expectations. It was only an hour flight yet they still provided a beverage and small snack. Most importantly, the cushion on the seats was very comfortable and there was plenty of leg space. My knees didn’t touch the back of the seat in front of me! Our flight left on time and we landed without issues! Can’t wait to fly with Solaseed again!
Skymark – We had a positive experience flying Skymark. We flew Skymark from Naha to Tokyo for our trip to Mt. Fuji. Although not as spacious as Solaseed, I felt the seats were decently comfortable. But the main reason I liked Skymark was because we got to fly in the Pikachu jet. Jill and I are flying with Skymark again come end of May to Nagoya.
Peach – Peach is your typical budget airline. Crowded, little leg room, and seats with hardly any cushion. Peach does not provide any in flight service, even on our 3 hour trip to Sapporo. They don’t offer drinks, not even water. In general my flights are on time and I’ve had no issues with delays or checking in.
Make sure to check out my post on Japan Travel Recommendations for other useful information regarding traveling around Japan.
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Plan Your Trip: 🗺 ✈️ 🇯🇵
Booking Accommodations ⛺️ 🛖
For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com
Activities and Tours 🏖 🚁
Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.
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Train Travel 🚂 🚊
For the JR Pass, tickets can be purchased on the JR Pass site.
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