Qantas vs Jetstar for Melbourne-Tokyo

Hello all,

It honestly depends on what is most important to you.

There's not much more for me to add than what's been covered above but points and SCs aside you need to look at the overall experience of your flight.

I’ve flown business on jetstar to japan and Bali before and found it perfectly fine. I’ve also flown PE on the qantas 747 and it’s also perfectly fine - however for that much price difference I’d go Jetstar. It’s still very easy to get to the city from Narita, despite the distance. Spend the extra money saved on a comparable product on your holiday!

Have flown JQ only once to Japan (from Gold Coast) but am a fairly regular user of QF J to Tokyo. The JQ experience was more than fine, I think there is more room than QF PE, which is tight. Found it comfortable, crew lovely. The front row doesn’t have a seat reclining into your face which can be a plus. The most basic JQ Business fare often doesn’t include lounge access though. Save your money for Tokyo!

Haneda is much closer to central Tokyo than Narita - there is a monorail into all of Haneda’s terminals - but in the end there’s not much in it as the rail system is so organised and easy. Despite being further out, the Narita express only takes about an hour to rocket into central Tokyo. Japanese trains are immaculate and absolutely on time. It’s surprisingly easy to navigate the mainline and metro rail systems.

As Brett77 noted Tokyo can be freaking expensive - we usually stay in Ginza which I love but it ain’t cheap - but Japan is a special experience. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. One tip - Tokyo buildings can be very narrow, so you need to check signs at building entrances for restaurants and bars. Often there is a small restaurant on each floor in a tall building. You can’t see them from the street, we have found some great (and not so expensive) eateries tucked away on the 7th or 8th floors.

If you're aiming to save money, and for visiting Japan you will appreciate spending the money during your trip rather than flying there and back, then go with Jetstar. The train from Narita to 'downtown' Tokyo is pretty good and anyway, you might not be staying in the middle of Tokyo anyway. Jetstar's Boeing 787 business class is roughly on par with Qantas premium economy, as you've said, so either is very bearable. I would also suggest that you buy a JR Rail Pass before you go, for a flat fee this gives you one week of free travel on the public railway system, which includes the Narita Express (but not the private 'subway' lines) plus all but the very fastest bullet trains. I would also suggest you think twice about calling Jetstar 'Jetscum', it really doesn't make you look very mature. If you don't like Jetstar then don't fly them, or explain why you don't like them, but using a name as an insult is incredibly juvenile.

Thanks for the above replies.

For someone who is a self-proclaimed trained aviation consultant and university-educated LCC guru it is surprising that you don’t know how to use a points calculator or the airline earning tables on the Qantas website, or that Haneda is significantly closer to central Tokyo than Narita. I’d also hazard that calling Jetstar “Jetscum” is in fact offensive and wouldn’t do anything for the morale of any staff who may be reading this forum. They are a no-frills LCC that doesn’t claim to do anything other than get you from A to B. I’m based on the Gold Coast and often fly them out of necessity due to Qantas’ poor network here and have never had a problem. I’m currently on a wine weekend in the Hunter on flights purchased for <$100 each way including a fare bundle with points and baggage. I was polite and friendly to all staff and had the same courtesy extended to me so I’ve no complaints.

For Status credits (and points) on JQ you need to purchase the Max pack (normally $200)

I'd definitely consider the 7 day JR pass already mentioned. The cost works out more or less the same as a return Tokyo-Osaka ticket so all other JR travel on that pass, including the JR train between Narita and Tokyo, is a bonus, as long as it's within the 7 days. It can be great value, but you have to buy it here, not in Japan.

Another option is to travel on a one way train ticket to Osaka and catch a LCC back to Tokyo (think Jetstar Japan or Peach) -- this would work especially well if your Osaka travel was at the end of your time in Japan, you travel light, and you connect to your flight back home at Narita. Bought in advance, tickets on LCCs are like to be way cheaper than the equivalent journey on the bullet train.

Personally, I'm not that keen on Osaka -- why not get off the train in Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan? It's in the same region as Osaka, but IMO has a lot more to offer.

In addition to the JR pass, there are many other rail 'deals' for foreign travellers, and it might be worth your while researching what's available, for example, local deals in Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto.

If you don't opt for the JR Pass, you might consider the Keisei Skyliner for travel between Narita and Tokyo, depending on where you stay. It's an express service that terminates in Ueno, conveniently near the JR Yamanote Line station, and also offers subway connections, from memory. It's cheaper than the JR service, and Keisei offer lots of deals.

As for the choice you mention between QF PE and JQ Business, I would probably take JQ, notwithstanding my own so-so experience. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.

If you are willing to pay for the JQ bundle one thing you may want to check is lounge access in NRT if you fly JQ. JQ uses T3 which in 2015 had no lounges as it is predominately a LLC terminal. Maybe one has been built in the past few years but I am not sure. The NRT JL lounge Brett77 mentions is in T2. As a QF Gold if you fly via in and out of HND you can use the JL lounge in HND.

Any credibility you may have had went out the door the moment you called them 'Jetscum'. And if you think that of them, you've probably answered your own question.