<declan_murphy@hotmail.com> wrote in message

> Is there such an animal?
>
> We have launched a new program in Sapporo, and as a result some of the
> applicants are going to need connecting flights (mostly from either
> Tokyo or Nagoya).

They can also fly with Korean or Taiwanese companies as they propose
Seoul/Hokkaido and Taipei/Hokkaido.  The trip is shorter via Seoul than via
Tokyo or Nagoya.

>One of the applicants from Dublin has mentioned that
> the Tokyo-Chitose/Chitose-Tokyo quote he received was for the
> equivalent of 3 times what I paid for Nagoya-Chitose return (which
> included 4 nights hotel).

Why would he pay that separately ? When I get a Japan-Europe ticket, I tell
the travel agent to give a call to ask the local legs of my trip for free.
All the serious airplane companies will give you at least one domestic
flight per trip Europe/Japan, some give 2, some give more.

If I buy a Tokyo-Amsterdam flight, for the same basic price, they give me
the Kansai-Tokyo and  the Amsterdam-Luxembourg tickets. I only have to pay
the additionnal tax of the other airports.  They may take about 10 000 yen
if you ask Itami-Tokyo instead of Itami-Kansai. At worse, your students
should get the Tokyo-Chitose round trip for 10 000 yen. If you're a tourist
with time to visit, it's also possible to ask for plane + train (shinkansen)
or + boat or +JRailpass deals.

The problem is the travel agents find that mendo-kusai. If you ask naively
: "How does that cost from Dublin to Chitose ?", they'll all tell you it's
the price of Dublin-London + London-Tokyo + Tokyo-Chitose. The amateurish
ones (Across, etc..) tend to say it's impossible to get even normal
discounts on domestic flight. Others never suggest it but when I ask, they
accept to spend the time  necessary to check and negociate the domestic
flights I indicate them. That's the same thing when you get tickets in
Europe, if you don't know that you can get discounts and additonnal flights,
they'll never tell you.

Kuri