Flights to Tokyo

[Romanov Stole My Pension]

I'm going to be travelling with a few friends to Tokyo in February, can anyone recommend a good airline. It's a long journey so I want it to be a good airline but not too expensive.

 

On a side note, when I fly into the continent, i often get really terrible ear pains before landing (sometimes almost hard to bare and the old sucking a boiled sweet does not work), is it likely that these pains could be even worse because obviously the plane is descending from a much higher height and I'm guessing at a much faster speed?

[Rab]

As a general rule, most Asian airlines are superb, so try to go for one of them rather than BA or any of the US airlines.

[Cobblers]

I'm going to be travelling with a few friends to Tokyo in February, can anyone recommend a good airline. It's a long journey so I want it to be a good airline but not too expensive.

 

On a side note, when I fly into the continent, i often get really terrible ear pains before landing (sometimes almost hard to bare and the old sucking a boiled sweet does not work), is it likely that these pains could be even worse because obviously the plane is descending from a much higher height and I'm guessing at a much faster speed?

 

Might be worth sending a pm to Japanjambo to see who she fly's with. Sake Airlines I think.

 

As for your ears, in my experience you get less pain with a long flight. I think you actually come down more gradually than in a domestic flight. Mind you it might have just been more time on the alcohol that dulled the pain.

[IronJambo]

my girlfriends done the trip a few times. last time she went with virgin and was full of praise for them. i'm sure it was a few quid shy of 500 notes which is good

 

i'd advise you to fly direct (at least all the way from heathrow or something!) otherwise it'll take you forever to get there.

[Coco]

Flew back from Tokyo on Friday.

 

Virgin Upper Class - very nice;) but very expensive!

 

Can recommend a few cool places to go in Tokyo/elsewhere in Japan if you like.

[Therapist]

As a general rule, most Asian airlines are superb,

 

Agreed.

 

Here's the site I use if I ever want to know anything about airlines - seat pitch, etc etc. It's excellent.

 

http://www.airlinequality.com/

[Coco]

By the way, I think that the best way to avoid the sore ears is to equalise the pressure regularly.

 

Have you ever been scuba diving. The way that you equalise the pressure while going underwater works just the same way as when descending on a plane.

 

There will be some scuba dive sites around which will tell you this, but basically putting your tongue onto the roof of your mouth and swallowing will do the job.

[Therapist]

On a side note, when I fly into the continent, i often get really terrible ear pains before landing (sometimes almost hard to bare and the old sucking a boiled sweet does not work), is it likely that these pains could be even worse because obviously the plane is descending from a much higher height and I'm guessing at a much faster speed?

 

Pinch your nose then (gently) attempt to blow through it. That will equalise the pressure.

 

Incidentally, your descent/speed theory is wrong. International flights ascend and descend at the same rate, and travel at the same speed, as their domestic counterparts, the exception being if the domestic flight is a very short one.

 

The reason your ears feel worse on an international flight is because they have been subject to a pressurised environment for longer than on a domestic flight.

[Jambo dans les Pyrenees]

ANA (All Nippon Airlines) direct from Londonwould be my first choice, otherwise BA are actually pretty good.

 

Other options from Edinburgh that I have tried and can recommend are SAS via Copenhagen and Swiss Airlines via Zurich. You get to Copenhagen or Zurich with BMI direct from Edinburgh.

 

Don't go with Lufthansa, Air France or KLM/

[Rab]

Agreed.

 

Here's the site I use if I ever want to know anything about airlines - seat pitch, etc etc. It's excellent.

 

http://www.airlinequality.com/

 

Good one.

 

Here's another:

 

http://www.seatguru.com

[stew mc]

I'm going to be travelling with a few friends to Tokyo in February, can anyone recommend a good airline. It's a long journey so I want it to be a good airline but not too expensive.

 

On a side note, when I fly into the continent, i often get really terrible ear pains before landing (sometimes almost hard to bare and the old sucking a boiled sweet does not work), is it likely that these pains could be even worse because obviously the plane is descending from a much higher height and I'm guessing at a much faster speed?

 

These work 100%

[Bindy Badgy]

What the last poster said.

 

I've never been on a long haul flight but earplugs have worked well for me on short flights.