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FLIGHT SAVINGS

How to save on flights from London to Tokyo

Our analysis of past searches finds effective ways to save on flights from London to Tokyo. If flights to Tokyo seem too expensive right now, these alternative booking strategies can help you get a cheaper fare. Our data shows savings of 5–20% on this route.

Content

    LON
    TYO

Book a LON-TYO roundtrip that costs less

Airlines often price the London to Tokyo round-trip below the one-way, so you buy the pair and never fly the return. That is a spare return, a form of throwaway ticketing, and nothing is skipped mid-ticket: your checked bag and your outbound are unaffected. When the fare allows it, you can also reschedule or cancel the extra return.

StrategySpare return
Success ratehigh
Typical savings5–20%
Checked bagYes ✔️

Examples

  • Jal · Economy

    Jun 9 · 9:10 am - 6:45 am +1

    LHR - HND

    Direct
    13h35m

    $1,775

    Spare return

    • Depart

      Tue, Jun 9

        • LHR - HND

    • Return

      Tue, Sep 1

      Spare return

        • HND - LHR

  • Asiana Airlines · Economy

    Mar 9 · 8:10 pm - 9:00 pm +1

    LHR - NRT

    1 stop
    15h50m

    $1,209

    Spare return

  • British Airways · Economy

    May 1 · 9:10 am - 7:00 am +1

    LHR - HND

    Direct
    13h50m

    $1,202

    Spare return

Add an extra destination after Tokyo

A multicity ticket, London to Tokyo plus a later journey to or from a third city, sometimes prices below the plain one-way. You fly to Tokyo; the second journey is a spare multicity you are free to drop, reschedule, or fit into a later trip. As with a spare return, the spare part is a whole journey on a later date, so nothing is skipped on the day and you can check a bag.

StrategySpare multicity
Success ratemedium
Typical savings5–25%
Checked bagYes ✔️

Examples

  • SWISS · Economy

    Oct 6 · 9:25 am - 9:20 am +1

    LGW - NRT

    1 stop
    15h55m

    $1,389

    Spare multicity
    Continue

    • Trip 1

      Tue, Oct 6

        • LGW - NRT

    • Trip 2

      Tue, Oct 13

      Spare multicity

        • NRT - ICN

  • British Airways · Economy

    May 22 · 7:30 am - 1:50 pm +1

    LHR - HND

    1 stop
    22h20m

    $1,119

    Spare multicity

  • SWISS · Economy

    May 1 · 9:25 am - 9:10 am +1

    LGW - NRT

    1 stop
    15h45m

    $1,056

    Spare multicity

Fly to a cheaper city and stop in Tokyo

A ticket to a city beyond Tokyo, routed through it, sometimes costs less than the Tokyo ticket itself. You get off at the layover and skip the last flight, a hidden city (or skiplagging). It is the one method here that leaves part of the ticket unflown, so travel with a carry-on, and it cannot be used on a round-trip: a missed segment cancels everything after it. Airlines tend to curb this practice, avoid doing it too often.

StrategyHidden city
Success ratemedium
Typical savings5–20%
Checked bagNo ❌

Examples

  • Finnair · Economy

    Jul 16 · 10:20 am - 2:40 pm +1

    LHR - HND

    1 stop
    20h20m

    $1,787

    Hidden city

    • Thu, Jul 16

        • LHR - HND

        • HND - CTS

        • Spare flight

  • Jal · Economy

    Jun 6 · 7:20 pm - 5:20 pm +1

    LHR - HND

    Direct
    14h

    $2,008

    Hidden city

  • Austrian · Economy

    May 5 · 9:05 am - 8:50 am +1

    LHR - NRT

    1 stop
    15h45m

    $1,608

    Hidden city

Combine your trip with other upcoming flights

  • LON
    TYO
  • LON

If you have other trips coming up, try combining them with the Tokyo one. Our multisearch engine searches several trips at once and finds ticket arrangements that cost less than the sum of their parts, such as nested or back-to-back tickets. The other trip can be to Tokyo again or somewhere else entirely, and it can be months away.

Questions about saving on flights to Tokyo

Can I buy a round-trip to Tokyo and not fly the return?

Yes, that is a spare return: nothing on the ticket is cancelled, you simply forfeit the return. On this route the round-trip priced below the one-way on most searches, saving 5–20%.

Is a hidden-city ticket safe on flights to Tokyo?

Safe enough with two rules: carry-on only, since a checked bag travels to the ticketed destination, and not too often, since airlines curb it. On this route a hidden city ticket routed through Tokyo priced below the Tokyo fare on a good share of searches, saving 5–20%.

Can I use a hidden-city ticket on a round trip to Tokyo?

Not on a plain round-trip: skipping a segment cancels everything after it, so you would lose the return. What works is a hidden return, one multicity ticket from London to Tokyo and then from Tokyo to a third city routed through London, where you get off.

Is an open-jaw ticket cheaper than a one-way to Tokyo?

Sometimes. A multicity ticket with a later journey to or from a third city, a spare multicity, can price below the plain one-way, and since the unused journey is on its own date you can check a bag. On this route it did on a good share of searches, saving 5–25%.

These saving methods are found automatically by our flight search engine. For the full picture of the strategies and their trade-offs, see our guide to Airglitch booking strategies.

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Updated on September 4, 2026