For hours, I started yesterday to be honest, I compare flight tables, prices and connections. Oosaka or Tokyo? Or maybe Nagoya? A open jaw flight? Haneda? There are many possibilities. I write tables and lists. 7 possible starting dates times 7 possible return dates times 4 airports square. I have to reduce the data set. Haneda and Nagoya do not offer any benefit. I am able to reduce the list to a open jaw flight with arrival at KIX and return over NRT.
Now I have to reduce the possible dates. I am allowed to fly for three weeks only. Otherwise the employment center is stopping the payment. Less is not good either. After Dec.20 the prices go up by a factor of 3. And aon Jan.6 is the fire figther parade I want to watch. This boundaries reduce the possibilities from a 20×20 table to a 3×3 table: Arrival between Dec.17 and Dec.19, Departure between Jan.08 and Jan.10. The remaining options are:
- Finnair via Helsinki with short flight times and surprisingly cheap (620€)
- KLM/AirFrance with a departure in NRT late in the evening (680€)
- KLM via Amsterdam (als0 680€)
The Air France-flights starts at 9:55 pm and KLM arrives early in the morning. I could use both days to visit places; means: two additional days.
Now the thinking starts. AF is expensive but I will have an additional day at the end. And the higher price is cheaper than a additional hotel. But. But. The flights goes to Charles de Gaulle (CDG). The most terrible airport on this planet. Even worse than Heathrow. And AF is also not known for keeping their schedule and service. And … The flight takes 13 hours. Are they flying in economy mode? Finnair only needs 10.5 hours. This is a strong argument.
Finnair it is. But, I overead the deadline for the Finnair offer. When I started the booking process it is 12:10am and the offer ended at midnight. It is not available anymore. I AM A IDIOT. Without my thinking, comparing and considering everything would be fine. Now I am back at zero. Now it is: An additional day but CDG or without problems via AMS?
13 hours in an AF plane and chnaging the terminal at CDG. I collect more data. CDG really is a nuisance. Either I leave the security zone including customs clearance and reenter it or I wait 2 hours for the first airport bus to take me to the other terminal. And the airport lounge is closed too. All this for the additional day?
I start the booking process via the KLM home page. There I can choose the seat. There is no available aisle or at the window. That’s it. A short brake and visit at the Xmas market later I book the KLM flight. Payed by Amex Platinum. The priority will be used too for a relaxing stop in the lounge.
Arrival
- 05:50 – 07:15 .. Traveliner to Hamburg
- 07:15 – 09:55 .. check-in and airport lounge for breakfast
- 09:55 – 11:10 .. KL1778 from HAM to AMS
- 11:10 – 14:30 .. 3:20h waiting in the lounge T3 at Schiphol
- 14:30 – 09:40 (local time) .. KL0867 from AMS to KIX
- 10:00 .. leaving custom clearance –> JAPAN !!!
Departure
- (07:30 .. Checkout if I stay in Tokyo)
10:00 .. Checkout if I stay in Narita for the last night. - 10:30 -11:55 .. check-in and airport lounge for breakfast
- 11:55 – 15:30 (local time) .. KL0862 from NRT to AMS (11:35)
- 15:30 – 16:45 .. waiting in Schiphol; maybe to short for the lounge
- 16:45 -17:50 .. KL1783 from AMS to HAM
- 18:20 .. leaving customs clearance .. back in Germany
- 19:30 – 20:55 .. Traveliner back to Luebeck