QANTAS: Melbourne to Honolulu flights stop from 31 January 2026

Well, that didn’t last long. Qantas’ much-touted return to the Melbourne–Honolulu route is ending after just nine months, with the final flight set for January 31, 2026. The official explanation? “Soft demand” both ways across the Pacific, according to ET.

This comes after the airline quietly slipped the route into a ‘seasonal suspension’ for February and March 2026. Now that suspension has simply become permanent. If you have a booking for February or March, Qantas says it will reach out and rebook you via Sydney, or issue a refund if you’d rather skip the hula drama altogether.

Meanwhile, demand for Sydney–Honolulu remains strong. Qantas will increase that service to six flights a week, daily in April. It’s no doubt helped along by the rehoming of all those Melbourne passengers.

Jetstar won’t swoop back

If you were hoping Jetstar might jump back onto the route, think again. A Jetstar spokesperson, according to ET, has confirmed the low-cost carrier has no plans to revive its Melbourne–Honolulu flights.

Back in May 2025, Jetstar stepped aside so Qantas could give the route a go. That’s because a weak Aussie dollar and rising travel costs made the Hawaiian holiday market feel more Qantas than Jetstar. But even for the red roo, it seems the economics never quite added up.

Follow the aircraft, follow the money

Wallace and Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson have repeatedly described aircraft as “assets” which they want deployed somewhere they’ll earn their keep. The Airbus A330 that’s been schlepping Melburnians to Hawaii three times a week is now being reassigned to routes with stronger demand.

That means we could expect more A330s with lie-flat business class on domestic east-west services. That gives Qantas’ business class cabin a tidy advantage over Virgin’s older B737s, with domestic Business Class cabins.

It also fits neatly into Qantas’ broader strategy of maximising premium cabins on routes where passengers are willing to pay for them. And on that front, heading west to Perth looks far more lucrative than Waikiki.

Sydney gets the shiny machine

Sydney–Honolulu gets the deployment of an ex-Finnair A330 kitted out with that airline’s unusual, but very comfortable non-reclining AirLounge business class, plus a proper premium economy cabin.

It’s a more premium-heavy, better-yielding product. Exactly what Qantas wants right now as it squeezes every drop of revenue out of its long-haul fleet.

2PAXfly Takout

These sort of changes are a good thing for shareholders, as they allow for the maximising of income. Not so good for those already booked on the cancelled flights, however

Hawaii-bound Victorians aren’t stranded, but they’ll need to travel via Sydney.

Personally, I’m not a fan of travelling to the USA at the moment, but each to their own.