Booking a trip to Seoul, Tokyo or Osaka and getting the flight home for nothing sounds too good to be true — but Jetstar is running exactly that deal. Its 'Japan & South Korea Return for Free' sale opens on 6 October 2026 and runs for just 72 hours, wrapping up on 9 October. In that window, the airline is putting 14,000 return fares on the table, with the return Starter fare priced at $0 for travellers who book an outbound Starter fare on selected dates.
The mechanics are simple: pay for your outbound flight, and Jetstar covers the return. Travel must happen between May and July 2027, which neatly straddles the start of the Australian winter — a smart escape window if you'd rather be eating ramen in Osaka than scraping frost off the windscreen.
Club Jetstar members get first dibs, with early access from midday AEDT on 6 October — a 12-hour head start before the general public sale opens at midnight AEDT. Given the fare pool is capped, that early window could matter.
Sample outbound fares include Cairns to Osaka (Kansai) from $449, Brisbane to Seoul (Incheon) from $469, Cairns to Tokyo (Narita) from $479 and Sydney to Osaka (Kansai) from $569. Remember these are Starter fares: you get one underseat carry-on bag, and anything more — including Priority Carry-on — costs extra. For a longer trip you'll want to budget for checked baggage.
Japan and South Korea are two of Jetstar's busiest international routes, and demand from Australia keeps climbing. Jetstar's Executive Manager Customer & Digital, Prue McKenzie, flagged the sale as one of the airline's most popular, noting the free return leg lets travellers stretch their holiday budget further.
Who does this suit? Families locking in a 2027 trip before prices climb, couples after a big-city long weekend, and anyone finally ticking off a first trip to Asia. The drawcards are well known: Seoul's palaces and K-pop culture, Osaka's legendary food scene, and Tokyo's mix of temples, neon and theme parks. With the return fare at $0, the savings could comfortably cover a few extra nights' accommodation, a rail pass or a very good dinner.
The catch, as always with these sales, is timing and availability. You have a 72-hour booking window, travel dates are limited to May–July 2027, and the cheapest fares will vanish fast. If North Asia is already on your 2027 list, it's worth being ready to book the moment the sale opens — especially if you're a Club Jetstar member with that early access.
