QANTAS: Brisbane to Tokyo route resumes 7 December 2023

Qantas has been flying to Japan’s Narita Airport since 1978. It moved its Japanese operations to Haneda back in 2015.

Now, with the financial assistance of Queensland’s $200 million Attracting Aviation Investment Fund, it is re-establishing the Brisbane to Tokyo route, formerly to Narita airport, but now to Haneda airport. According to Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe, the Fund hopes it will boost the state’s income by $41 million a year.

Route details

Flights will use an Airbus A330 with Business Class Suites that have lie-flat beds three days per week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

• QF 61, a daytime flight, leaves Brisbane at 11:50, arriving in Tokyo at 20:00
• QF 62, an overnight flight, leaves Tokyo Haneda at 21:30, arriving back in Brisbane at 07:35 the next day

Pricing

Pricing is at the spiky end of the market. Although you can get a return fare for about AU $8,000 on the first flying day, most flights seem to be around the AU $13,00 mark during December mainly on a sale fare, but peak closer to AU $20,000 if you travel on a Flex fare even just one-way. Now, my memory is not so good but didn’t his used to be an AU $3,000 to AU $4,000 route pre-pandemic?

Qantas Group services to Japan

Qantas and Jetstar operate more than 20 flights/week between Australia and Japan. Melbourne to Tokyo Haneda resumes in March 2023. Jetstar operates flights from Cairns and the Gold Coast to Japanese destinations, including Tokyo, Narita and Osaka.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

Good to see these routes returning, mind you, at these prices – not sure how well they will be patronised unless your business is paying.

I would love to be heading off to Japan in 2023, but these prices will need to come down a lot before my piggy bank can afford them!