New first-class seat for Japan route can be booked with Qantas points

Japan Airlines (JAL) will now be the only airline to offer a first-class cabin on the Sydney-Tokyo route. Starting May 31, JAL will fly the larger Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on its Haneda-Sydney service, replacing the 787-9 Dreamliner, with the bigger planes able to offer four classes. JAL made the move following strong demand among Australians for travel to Japan. It’s also looking to stand out from the crowd on the popular route, that includes fellow Japanese airline, ANA, plus Australia’s Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar. Not a pointy-end flyer? Not even a JAL customer? All you need is a bunch of Qantas points (about 130,000, according to some online points-hack bloggers, but check with the airline) to score one of the best seats in the house, thanks to the Oneworld membership of both airlines. For the rest of us, the JAL 777-300ER is a pretty comfortable ride. Last refurbished 10 years ago, these aircraft feature eight first-class seats, 49 business seats, 40 premium economy and 135 economy seats. The news comes as JAL, Japan’s largest airline, launches a new flagship aircraft that Australians venturing further afield via Tokyo may find themselves enjoying. JAL’s new twin-aisle A350-1000 began service on the Haneda-New York route in late January, with plans to extend its use to Haneda-Dallas Fort Worth and Haneda-London within the 2024 financial year.<br/>