My First and Last Ride on JAL Saab 340
This was a flight I took back in February 2020 while the JAL's subsidiary Hokkaido Air System (HAS) Saab 340 was still in services. Knowing that the airlines is replacing the old Saab 320 with the brand new ATR 42-600, I got the chance to arrange a trip to Hokkaido and to add this aircraft to my checklist. Luckily I did that early as travel restriction was raised after the Covid-19 outbreak and the Saab 340 were soon retired in 2021.
I bought this domestic flight ticket with a price of 5500 JPY under the JAL Explorer pass (JEP) fare, which is only for purchase of foreign travelers in Japan.
Arriving at the Sapporo Okadama Airport (OKD). The airport is relatively smaller than CTS and only serves domestic routes. JAL's HAS is the main airlines using this airport for flights from Sapporo to several cities in Hokkaido.
The airport was not connected by any rail services but an airport luminous bus from a nearby metro station, the travelling time is around 5 mins. However I missed the bus on that day so instead I took a taxi to the airport.
Floor map of OKD
I like that most of the Japanese Airports are having an observation deck for plane spotting.
The apron view
Inside the departure area, there was one souvenirs stores and one restaurant.
As I was arrived in a hurry, I have checked in the flight and passed thru the security pretty quickly. The staff guide me to the departure gate directly. In this airport, you use the QR code on the flight ticket to pass the gate.
After the gate, I took the elevator down to the apron and walked to the Saab 340. It was a great way to look at the aircraft closely. This time I am on the fleet reg. no. JA01HC.
Hangers in OKD
The flight was full. Seats configuration was 1-2. There was one flight attendant for this flight.
In the seat pocket, I found the safety manual, HAS magazine showing the flight route and the services menu.
Take Off - What a magic moment taking off during sun set.
Approaching Hakodate with the very nice city view.
The flight time is only half an hour and no service was provided.
Again, we walked to the HKD terminal.
I got my checked baggage in minutes and left the HKD Airport. HKD is a larger airport which also serves international flights.
Thanks for this report ! I didn't know there were Sapporo <-> Hakodate flights. I remember using the train between these two cities, the landscape was amazing but this was quite long indeed.
It is a shame there is no influght service, a glass of water would be nice !
Hi there, thanks for sharing your first report here with us!
Very cool report indeed, R.I.P little Saab 340. A surprisingly comfortable cabin for such a small aircraft and perfect for little missions like this.
Yes! Too bad I didn't have time to go to one of the decks on my recent trip to Japan.
Very nice aerials--lots of great scenery over Hokkaido, for such a short hop.
Thanks for sharing and Welcome to Flight-Report!