While Japan Airlines operates flights between Tokyo and Sydney year-round, typically the route is operated by a Boeing 787, featuring economy, premium economy, and business class. This will be changing as of September.
Japan Airlines will offer first class to Australia
As noted by Executive Traveler, as of September 1, 2020, Japan Airlines will begin flying a Boeing 777-300ER daily between Tokyo Haneda and Sydney. The flight will operate with the following schedule:
JL51 Tokyo Haneda to Sydney departing 7:20PM arriving 6:10AM (+1 day)
JL52 Sydney to Tokyo Haneda departing 8:15AM arriving 5:05PM
The flight covers a distance of ~4,900 miles, and is blocked at 9hr50min in each direction.
Japan Airlines 777-300ER
Japan Airlines’ 777-300ERs feature a total of 246 seats, including:
- Eight first class suites, in a 1-2-1 configuration
- 49 business class Apex Suites, in a 2-3-2 configuration
- 40 premium economy seats, in a 2-4-2 configuration
- 147 economy seats, in a 3-3-3 configuration
Japan Airlines’ business class Apex Suites
Japan Airlines first class awards available
Now that Japan Airlines has loaded the 777-300ER into the schedule for Sydney, award seats are readily available.
Ordinarily finding first class award seats to Australia can be really tough, but Japan Airlines seems to be making two first class award seats available virtually every day in the market.
This is an amazing opportunity to fly JAL first class to Australia during the start of the high season.
You can read a review of Japan Airlines’ first class here.
Japan Airlines first class seat
Best way to redeem miles for first class
If you want to redeem miles for this flight, the best value by far is to book through American AAdvantage. They charge 60,000 miles for a one-way first class award between Japan and Australia.
There are no carrier imposed surcharges, and you can add on connections within Australia on Qantas for not additional miles, assuming you can find award availability.
Japan Airlines has great food in first class
If you’re originating in the US you’d have to book this as two awards, so you’d have to book one award ticket from the US to Japan, and then a separate one from Japan to Australia. That’s because American AAdvantage doesn’t let you route from the US to Australia via Japan.
While Alaska Mileage Plan also has an excellent partnership with Japan Airlines that allows mileage redemptions, unfortunately the agreement doesn’t cover travel to & from Australia. You can fly Japan Airlines between North America and Asia, and you can travel within Asia, but you can’t travel to Australia.
See this post for the best credit cards for earning American miles.
Japan Airlines first class seat
Bottom line
It’s exciting to see Japan Airlines bring back first class to Australia. They flew a 777 to Sydney a few years back, but it’s not otherwise something that they’ve done regularly.
Japan Airlines first class is phenomenal, and just 60,000 AAdvantage miles for this ticket in first class is a bargain.
Anyone plan to redeem miles for this flight in JAL first class?
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