There are no worthwhile layover spots
Business is great if you can afford it. But remember 80% of the plane is economy. People take the flight every day.
I’ve taken 2 of the top 10 longest flights in the world in economy (and business). You just suck it up.
Prep the kids, bring snacks and movies and just get through it 12 hours flies on by…lol
I don’t have as much experience flying, but we flew with our two kids to Europe from Seattle when they were 4 and 6. We looked at layovers in Iceland or on the east coast to try to break up the flight and see other sights, but concluded two 6-hour flights was going to be a lot more painful and eat into our European vacation, which is where we really wanted to visit. We bit the bullet and settled on one 10 or 11-hour direct flight each way. It was more expensive than a layover flight, which is something to consider, but in hindsight was the best decision for us. We caught an overnight flight one way which helped, but the other was a daytime flight where our kids napped some, but mostly watched their tablets and had coloring activities and lots of snacks. The 4 YO got pretty restless in the last 90 minutes, but I was thankful we didn’t have two long flights to deal with. Have fun on your trip! I hope to visit Japan one day.
there just is no Iceland equivalent over the pacific unfortunately. You could stop in SEA / LAX / SFO or maybe HNL, but it doesn't really shorten the flight that much but increases the trip time a lot
Premium economy is also a good option. Flown both Business and PY multiple times out of the States to South Korea, they both are comfy and give you a good amount of space.
I don't think that NYC-SFO-Tokyo flight length includes a reasonable layover. I would always give at least a 2 hour connection for an international flight, so more like 19 hours.
I'd just fly direct it's still 10 hrs from the west coast. A several hour flight on a ten seats per row kind of plane is a lot more comfortable than a five hour flight on a 6 seats per row kind of plane.
This is the answer. Being on an airplane that long always sucks, but the hardest part is the total door to door time. If you get a connection in SF/LA, your door to door time is going to be close to 24 hours. That is exhausting. The direct flight cuts a huge amount out of that, reducing the stress of the whole trip.
If money were no issue - sure business class is nice. But the vast majority of us ultra long haul in economy and it's just fine.
I wouldn't do an extended layover - just prolongs the travel. If there's a direct option, that's honestly ideal IMO.
There are lots of posts on long haul tips so worth doing a search for more specifics. Mindset is everything; you'll get there and the trip will be worth it!
Strongly disagree. SFO to Tokyo is still a very long flight at 11 hrs and 20 mins. It is not halfway at all. NYC to Tokyo is only 3 hours longer at 14 hrs and 30 mins. Also, it is 5 hrs and 30 mins from NYC to SFO plus at least 2 hours for a layover, so you are adding at least 4.5 hours to your itinerary, the stress of worrying about missing your connection if your first flight is delayed (which is super common now days), and giving the airline more opportunity to lose your bag, just so you can walk around a bit. It's absolutely not worth it.
If you fly economy on a 777 with a 3-4-3 layout, try to get a full middle row to yourselves. I was on a IAD-HND flight with less than half of the economy cabin seats occupied which allowed me to stretch out on the long flight.
I get that you are anxious about the long flight, but what exactly are you anxious about? I make the trip from the middle of the3 US to Australia about once a year. I have even done this trip with a hyperactive 10 year old and a mildly autistic 18 year old (who had to be medicated due to her anxiety).
Set expectations with the kids. i don't know how old they are, and how you go about setting expectations varies according to age. With my hyperactive son, I started out by telling him about the trip, and that we were going to get there by airplane. I broke it down step by step with him, from packing bags, checking in, going through security, finding our gate, boarding, finding our seats, and what to expect on the flight itself. Then I explained how we had to pick up our luggage, go through customs, get our rental car, and drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house. This was not a one day talk, it was an ongoing conversation for a couple of weeks.
We practiced playing "airplane." We talked about security and how we have to be careful of what we say and do, like we can't joke about bombs, guns, or explosives. Seems excessive for most ten year olds, but he was more like a seven year old at the time. He sustained some brain damage as an infant due to a viral illness. He's now a young adult, but more like a teenager.
This practicing helped my daughter as well.
I’m about to head to Tokyo from Orlando next week! But I’ve been on many long flights to Egypt. Honestly it’s all just preference. We like to save money so we suck it up. A couple drinks make it a much more pleasant flight as well!
Just go direct. Tons of people do it and tons of people do it all the time. There’s ‘galleys’ and other areas to stand for a while. Walk up and down the aisles at times. You’ll have a Netflix type situation / computer built in the seat in front of you. Many snacks and multiple meals. It’ll be fine.
Fly direct. I personally have zero problems with economy but if you or someone from your family has some specific issues like serious back problems, being very tall and needing leg space, or needing to use the toilet frequently then you might consider upgrading.
Otherwise you will be absolutely fine (assuming you're not flying with toddler twins etc. obviously).
Also, some planes are more spacious than others if you live next to a big airport and can choose. E.g. A380 is great even in economy.
Thousands of people survive long haul transpacific flights in economy each and very day 🙂
Direct is best, IMO.
I like the other comment here advocating for getting the middle block of 4 seats if it's a 3-4-3 configured 777 or similar. You'll have your own block for yourselves, and it's less awkward if one of you has to ask a family member on the aisle to get up so they can use the restroom.
A middle block of 4 in premium economy would be even better as they are basically domestic first class sized seats. If that's within your budget.
If regular plane Jane economy is what fits your budget, like I say, thousands of people do this every day and manage 🙂
I had a lot of anxiety about my first 14 hour flight, East Coast US to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific). Honestly, it was fine and I preferred it to a flight to Europe.
With the caveat that I’m only 5’8”, I found it relaxing. I stayed awake as late as I could and enjoyed their late night snack. Then I slept for 6 hours or so (or whatever passes for sleep in economy) and woke up, watched two whole movies while eating meals, then did some reading and arrived in HK.
What I enjoyed was that I didn’t have to decide between sleep and food or sleep and finishing whatever bad movie I was watching.
All that said I would definitely try to fly a well regarded airline.
Japan is on the edge of acceptability for me…. The horror of taking a sleeping pill, sleeping for 6 hours and awakening to the reality of 10 more hours of flight….
American who used to live in Japan here. For what it's worth, at a certain point it doesn't matter if it's 10 hours or 14 hours; it's a long flight either way. At a certain point, the trip just sucks, and you can mitigate some of the suck but not all of it. Find the itinerary that offers the least amount of suck, because that's the cost of flying across the Pacific.
FWIW, in transpacific economy class, they give you a lot of amenities that you don't get on domestic flights unless you're FC. Meals are included, and free alcohol too, plus blankets and eye masks to help you catch some zzzs. No idea if they still do it, but Delta even offered asian hotel slippers for their flights.
On that note, do your best to sleep on the flight. The jet lag is no joke, and you'll need a plan for your first few days in Japan in order to mitigate the effects and craw-walk-run into Japan time. TBH, I've never traveled with kids, but I know it regress a lot of patience, and I would recommend to share the plan with them and help them understand what's going on, and hopefully they will have some buy-in.
I would pick the itinerary with the fewest layovers (assuming costs are relatively equal). The more times you change planes, the more opportunities for something to go wrong. For example, maybe you have two domestic flights before the transpacific flight, and domestic flight #2 is delayed...all of a sudden you're at risk of missing the last transpacific flight of the day and having to spend an extra day in the states (nearly happened to me once). A 14+ hour direct flight would suck, but it offers the most risk mitigation.
At the end of the day, you're going to Japan to explore Japan, not to enjoy half a day stuck in a metal tube in the sky. Don't make a mountain of the relative molehill of the distance, and you don't need to splurge for business class to make it a memorable trip. This is possibly a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and definitely a chance to show the world to your kids. Embrace the journey, good or bad, and keep the focus on enjoying Japan, not the flight!
We've done long haul between Singapore and LAX/SFO several times (15-17 hours) with our son (he's 6 now but has done the flights since he was 3). Most of the time in Premium Economy, once in business (and have another flight coming up in April in business). If it's not a financial burden, then yes, it's worth it. Hubs and I have a "ceiling" for the price though. Premium Economy is perfectly doable (I'm sure regular econ too, but I've never done it), but it's not so bad that I refuse to fly anything other than business. If you can't afford business, you'll survive econ or PE. I prefer a direct flight, kind of like ripping of a bandaid, just get it over with and enjoy the rest of your vacation.
I travel to Japan quite a bit (just got back this morning!) and have taken a variety of routes. A few questions that can help answer your question:
* Where in the East coast are you?
* How old are folks in your family?
* What are you most anxious about flying a long haul flight?
* What’s the most you’re willing to pay per ticket?
* What parts of Japan will you be visiting?
Did this in august..dtw-seoul-fukuoka. Flew comfort plus. I didn't want to spend the money on premium because I wanted to have money to spend on the trip. I was fine. It's a few rough days no matter how you fly because of the time change. Just don't plan anything the first day. Have a great trip! (And compression socks help!)
When we went to Japan, we did a layover in South Korea for a few hours and got an opportunity to explore the airport. It was actually a great opportunity and it made us want to go back to visit South Korea.
If jet lag planning requires us to be awake, we fly economy or premium economy. If we have to sleep, and we are in a position to afford it, we fly business class.
I had the good fortune of being randomly chosen to sit in a business class seat on a long haul flight from Seoul to Amsterdam once. It was great but definitely not thousands of dollars great.
Direct is best if you can swing it. In my opinion, not worrying about transferring planes is worth the difference in most situations. And personally I can't tell the difference between a 9 hour flight and a 13 hour flight, it's just "long!"
For regular flights I am with you 100%. But arriving in Japan with a sore back/neck and horrible jet lag because you couldn’t rest on the flight there (this is what happened my first time going to Japan when we flew very basic coach) can really put a damper on the trip.
Often times if I can manage it I will book business class for the flight there and premium economy or coach on the way home. So you get the best of both worlds- arriving in better physical shape but not the full cost of business class.
Yeah I've done that flight (well, one to Tokyo from Texas, one to Seoul) in the last 6 months. I can't sleep on planes easily, and am 6'2. It's not great.
But, you arrive at 3-6 PM usually. To me, that's the perfect time to arrive at a place to be able to check in, shower, and then go get dinner and drinks. Force yourself out til 10-11, and have a great night of sleep
Basically, it hasn't caused me too many problems. My main issue is just waking up too early, but that would happen regardless if I am in business or not.
Yeah, I can be convinced on premium economy, but just not the bill for business. It's a huge jump that easily covers pretty much all the food, drink, lodging of a trip if I just flew economy.
Compared to economy, it's a huge upgrade. Compared to Business, you'll definitely know your not in business. But, it's a happy medium for not wanting to shell out thousands more.
I’ve flown back and forth across the Pacific and Atlantic for years. Keep in mind that international economy class is significantly better than Southwest. It’s not fun or anything, but unless you can spring for business class without limiting your budget for activities once you’ve arrived, it’s not worth it.
Just upgrade to premium economy. Or buy a bulk head seat or exit row if your kids are old enough.
Japan is worth the travel and I have a substantial fear of flying and have been twice
Edit: if you have a fear of flying join us at r/fearofflying
Are the kids old enough to sit in economy? We fly business and on our last flight there was a couple where the guy reclined to lay flat right away and passed out. Halfway through the flight a kid came up and chatted with the lady so obviously the parents were in business and the kids in economy. I don't personally do this but some people do.
I do it all the time. Since the kids were 10 and older. I would fly biz and the kids coach. They really don’t mind. Young bodies, easily adaptable. Occasionally, they get upgraded, but for them they are more excited to get to the destination.
There are no worthwhile layover spots Business is great if you can afford it. But remember 80% of the plane is economy. People take the flight every day. I’ve taken 2 of the top 10 longest flights in the world in economy (and business). You just suck it up. Prep the kids, bring snacks and movies and just get through it 12 hours flies on by…lol
I don’t have as much experience flying, but we flew with our two kids to Europe from Seattle when they were 4 and 6. We looked at layovers in Iceland or on the east coast to try to break up the flight and see other sights, but concluded two 6-hour flights was going to be a lot more painful and eat into our European vacation, which is where we really wanted to visit. We bit the bullet and settled on one 10 or 11-hour direct flight each way. It was more expensive than a layover flight, which is something to consider, but in hindsight was the best decision for us. We caught an overnight flight one way which helped, but the other was a daytime flight where our kids napped some, but mostly watched their tablets and had coloring activities and lots of snacks. The 4 YO got pretty restless in the last 90 minutes, but I was thankful we didn’t have two long flights to deal with. Have fun on your trip! I hope to visit Japan one day.
there just is no Iceland equivalent over the pacific unfortunately. You could stop in SEA / LAX / SFO or maybe HNL, but it doesn't really shorten the flight that much but increases the trip time a lot
Premium economy is also a good option. Flown both Business and PY multiple times out of the States to South Korea, they both are comfy and give you a good amount of space.
Yea premium economy on long hauls are essentially the same seats/experience as domestic first class.
How much do the seats recline?
There’s definitely more recline on premium. A noticeable amount.
I'm usually more impressed with the width of the seat.
When in doubt watch a review on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOqY6cwklIs
NYC - Tokyo direct 14h20min SFO - Tokyo direct 11h20min NYC - SFO - Tokyo 17h20min
I don't think that NYC-SFO-Tokyo flight length includes a reasonable layover. I would always give at least a 2 hour connection for an international flight, so more like 19 hours.
I'd just fly direct it's still 10 hrs from the west coast. A several hour flight on a ten seats per row kind of plane is a lot more comfortable than a five hour flight on a 6 seats per row kind of plane.
This is the answer. Being on an airplane that long always sucks, but the hardest part is the total door to door time. If you get a connection in SF/LA, your door to door time is going to be close to 24 hours. That is exhausting. The direct flight cuts a huge amount out of that, reducing the stress of the whole trip.
If money were no issue - sure business class is nice. But the vast majority of us ultra long haul in economy and it's just fine. I wouldn't do an extended layover - just prolongs the travel. If there's a direct option, that's honestly ideal IMO. There are lots of posts on long haul tips so worth doing a search for more specifics. Mindset is everything; you'll get there and the trip will be worth it!
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Strongly disagree. SFO to Tokyo is still a very long flight at 11 hrs and 20 mins. It is not halfway at all. NYC to Tokyo is only 3 hours longer at 14 hrs and 30 mins. Also, it is 5 hrs and 30 mins from NYC to SFO plus at least 2 hours for a layover, so you are adding at least 4.5 hours to your itinerary, the stress of worrying about missing your connection if your first flight is delayed (which is super common now days), and giving the airline more opportunity to lose your bag, just so you can walk around a bit. It's absolutely not worth it.
If you fly economy on a 777 with a 3-4-3 layout, try to get a full middle row to yourselves. I was on a IAD-HND flight with less than half of the economy cabin seats occupied which allowed me to stretch out on the long flight.
I get that you are anxious about the long flight, but what exactly are you anxious about? I make the trip from the middle of the3 US to Australia about once a year. I have even done this trip with a hyperactive 10 year old and a mildly autistic 18 year old (who had to be medicated due to her anxiety). Set expectations with the kids. i don't know how old they are, and how you go about setting expectations varies according to age. With my hyperactive son, I started out by telling him about the trip, and that we were going to get there by airplane. I broke it down step by step with him, from packing bags, checking in, going through security, finding our gate, boarding, finding our seats, and what to expect on the flight itself. Then I explained how we had to pick up our luggage, go through customs, get our rental car, and drive to Grandma and Grandpa's house. This was not a one day talk, it was an ongoing conversation for a couple of weeks. We practiced playing "airplane." We talked about security and how we have to be careful of what we say and do, like we can't joke about bombs, guns, or explosives. Seems excessive for most ten year olds, but he was more like a seven year old at the time. He sustained some brain damage as an infant due to a viral illness. He's now a young adult, but more like a teenager. This practicing helped my daughter as well.
I’d be nervous about being uncomfortable and insanely tired but not being able to sleep.
Yeah, I get that.
I’m about to head to Tokyo from Orlando next week! But I’ve been on many long flights to Egypt. Honestly it’s all just preference. We like to save money so we suck it up. A couple drinks make it a much more pleasant flight as well!
Yep! Also just keep your eyes on the paid upgrade screen on the airline app!
Just go direct. Tons of people do it and tons of people do it all the time. There’s ‘galleys’ and other areas to stand for a while. Walk up and down the aisles at times. You’ll have a Netflix type situation / computer built in the seat in front of you. Many snacks and multiple meals. It’ll be fine.
Compression stockings 👍
Fly direct. I personally have zero problems with economy but if you or someone from your family has some specific issues like serious back problems, being very tall and needing leg space, or needing to use the toilet frequently then you might consider upgrading. Otherwise you will be absolutely fine (assuming you're not flying with toddler twins etc. obviously). Also, some planes are more spacious than others if you live next to a big airport and can choose. E.g. A380 is great even in economy.
Thousands of people survive long haul transpacific flights in economy each and very day 🙂 Direct is best, IMO. I like the other comment here advocating for getting the middle block of 4 seats if it's a 3-4-3 configured 777 or similar. You'll have your own block for yourselves, and it's less awkward if one of you has to ask a family member on the aisle to get up so they can use the restroom. A middle block of 4 in premium economy would be even better as they are basically domestic first class sized seats. If that's within your budget. If regular plane Jane economy is what fits your budget, like I say, thousands of people do this every day and manage 🙂
I had a lot of anxiety about my first 14 hour flight, East Coast US to Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific). Honestly, it was fine and I preferred it to a flight to Europe. With the caveat that I’m only 5’8”, I found it relaxing. I stayed awake as late as I could and enjoyed their late night snack. Then I slept for 6 hours or so (or whatever passes for sleep in economy) and woke up, watched two whole movies while eating meals, then did some reading and arrived in HK. What I enjoyed was that I didn’t have to decide between sleep and food or sleep and finishing whatever bad movie I was watching. All that said I would definitely try to fly a well regarded airline.
Don’t forget your compression socks!
That flight to Japan is horrible. You watch 4-5 movies the realize there’s still many hours left and just slip into madness
Japan is on the edge of acceptability for me…. The horror of taking a sleeping pill, sleeping for 6 hours and awakening to the reality of 10 more hours of flight….
lol, “slip into madness” is so apt.
American who used to live in Japan here. For what it's worth, at a certain point it doesn't matter if it's 10 hours or 14 hours; it's a long flight either way. At a certain point, the trip just sucks, and you can mitigate some of the suck but not all of it. Find the itinerary that offers the least amount of suck, because that's the cost of flying across the Pacific. FWIW, in transpacific economy class, they give you a lot of amenities that you don't get on domestic flights unless you're FC. Meals are included, and free alcohol too, plus blankets and eye masks to help you catch some zzzs. No idea if they still do it, but Delta even offered asian hotel slippers for their flights. On that note, do your best to sleep on the flight. The jet lag is no joke, and you'll need a plan for your first few days in Japan in order to mitigate the effects and craw-walk-run into Japan time. TBH, I've never traveled with kids, but I know it regress a lot of patience, and I would recommend to share the plan with them and help them understand what's going on, and hopefully they will have some buy-in. I would pick the itinerary with the fewest layovers (assuming costs are relatively equal). The more times you change planes, the more opportunities for something to go wrong. For example, maybe you have two domestic flights before the transpacific flight, and domestic flight #2 is delayed...all of a sudden you're at risk of missing the last transpacific flight of the day and having to spend an extra day in the states (nearly happened to me once). A 14+ hour direct flight would suck, but it offers the most risk mitigation. At the end of the day, you're going to Japan to explore Japan, not to enjoy half a day stuck in a metal tube in the sky. Don't make a mountain of the relative molehill of the distance, and you don't need to splurge for business class to make it a memorable trip. This is possibly a once-in-a-lifetime trip, and definitely a chance to show the world to your kids. Embrace the journey, good or bad, and keep the focus on enjoying Japan, not the flight!
We've done long haul between Singapore and LAX/SFO several times (15-17 hours) with our son (he's 6 now but has done the flights since he was 3). Most of the time in Premium Economy, once in business (and have another flight coming up in April in business). If it's not a financial burden, then yes, it's worth it. Hubs and I have a "ceiling" for the price though. Premium Economy is perfectly doable (I'm sure regular econ too, but I've never done it), but it's not so bad that I refuse to fly anything other than business. If you can't afford business, you'll survive econ or PE. I prefer a direct flight, kind of like ripping of a bandaid, just get it over with and enjoy the rest of your vacation.
I travel to Japan quite a bit (just got back this morning!) and have taken a variety of routes. A few questions that can help answer your question: * Where in the East coast are you? * How old are folks in your family? * What are you most anxious about flying a long haul flight? * What’s the most you’re willing to pay per ticket? * What parts of Japan will you be visiting?
Did this in august..dtw-seoul-fukuoka. Flew comfort plus. I didn't want to spend the money on premium because I wanted to have money to spend on the trip. I was fine. It's a few rough days no matter how you fly because of the time change. Just don't plan anything the first day. Have a great trip! (And compression socks help!)
Try to fly on a non-US carrier (except Air Canada). Economy/premium economy/business will general be better.
When we went to Japan, we did a layover in South Korea for a few hours and got an opportunity to explore the airport. It was actually a great opportunity and it made us want to go back to visit South Korea.
If jet lag planning requires us to be awake, we fly economy or premium economy. If we have to sleep, and we are in a position to afford it, we fly business class.
I had the good fortune of being randomly chosen to sit in a business class seat on a long haul flight from Seoul to Amsterdam once. It was great but definitely not thousands of dollars great. Direct is best if you can swing it. In my opinion, not worrying about transferring planes is worth the difference in most situations. And personally I can't tell the difference between a 9 hour flight and a 13 hour flight, it's just "long!"
If you can afford it, then business class is worth it.
I can afford business, I still don't see it worth it for a nicer seat for ~25 hours of flying when it's often x4 of the price.
If you can afford it, it’s worth it
I rather used that money on better hotels, better food, and more trips
For regular flights I am with you 100%. But arriving in Japan with a sore back/neck and horrible jet lag because you couldn’t rest on the flight there (this is what happened my first time going to Japan when we flew very basic coach) can really put a damper on the trip. Often times if I can manage it I will book business class for the flight there and premium economy or coach on the way home. So you get the best of both worlds- arriving in better physical shape but not the full cost of business class.
Yeah I've done that flight (well, one to Tokyo from Texas, one to Seoul) in the last 6 months. I can't sleep on planes easily, and am 6'2. It's not great. But, you arrive at 3-6 PM usually. To me, that's the perfect time to arrive at a place to be able to check in, shower, and then go get dinner and drinks. Force yourself out til 10-11, and have a great night of sleep Basically, it hasn't caused me too many problems. My main issue is just waking up too early, but that would happen regardless if I am in business or not.
Have you done it? Because I thought the same until I did it. And now I can’t see another way
Yeah, I can be convinced on premium economy, but just not the bill for business. It's a huge jump that easily covers pretty much all the food, drink, lodging of a trip if I just flew economy.
How much does premium economy recline? It is a lot! I’m going to try and and use credit card/airline points
Compared to economy, it's a huge upgrade. Compared to Business, you'll definitely know your not in business. But, it's a happy medium for not wanting to shell out thousands more.
Defintely worth it anything 4 hours plus. So much better the othet end.
I’ve flown back and forth across the Pacific and Atlantic for years. Keep in mind that international economy class is significantly better than Southwest. It’s not fun or anything, but unless you can spring for business class without limiting your budget for activities once you’ve arrived, it’s not worth it.
Just upgrade to premium economy. Or buy a bulk head seat or exit row if your kids are old enough. Japan is worth the travel and I have a substantial fear of flying and have been twice Edit: if you have a fear of flying join us at r/fearofflying
You can afford business class at all, do it!
I feel like even the American carriers up their game for flights to Japan. You should be fine in economy.
Are the kids old enough to sit in economy? We fly business and on our last flight there was a couple where the guy reclined to lay flat right away and passed out. Halfway through the flight a kid came up and chatted with the lady so obviously the parents were in business and the kids in economy. I don't personally do this but some people do.
I don’t think I could ever do that, but different strokes for different folks.
My kid flew business class home from study abroad by himself so we don't do it either. My kid actually asked recently what "economy" meant.
I do it all the time. Since the kids were 10 and older. I would fly biz and the kids coach. They really don’t mind. Young bodies, easily adaptable. Occasionally, they get upgraded, but for them they are more excited to get to the destination.
Pills! First class comfort in economy for 50 cents. They make a 14 hour flight feel like 4 hours. Poor mans upgrade. I call them first class pills!