Japan’s largest airline All Nippon Airways has announced it will fly twice daily between Sydney and Tokyo from March 26, as well as relaunch direct Perth-Tokyo flights in October this year.
As a Star Alliance member and Virgin Australia partner, ANA offers Australian-based travellers the opportunity to snap up award seats on flights to Japan.
Sydneysiders will now see 14 ANA flights depart Sydney each week, while the airline will relaunch three weekly flights from Perth at the end of October.
Is a Japan trip vying for your points? We’ve outlined the flight specifics below.
Relaunching Perth-Tokyo flights
ANA airline briefly began operating this route back in September 2019, but the direct flight was short-lived for Western Australians thanks to the pandemic.
With travel continuing to ramp up, Australian-based travellers have substantially increased the demand for flights to Japan. As such, ANA plans to operate flights between Perth and Tokyo from 29 October 2023.
The carrier has announced one of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners will jet across this route, with the aircraft treating business class passengers to lie-flat seats.
Flights are not on sale just yet, however, we can expect the previous schedule will hold true, with flights departing Tokyo at 11.10 am and touching down in Perth at 8.15 pm.
The reclinable business seats will come in especially handy for the return flight to Japan, which will leave the WA capital at 9.45 pm and arrive in Tokyo at 8.25 am the next morning.
Twice daily Sydney-Tokyo flights
ANA’s Sydney to Tokyo schedule is about to get a double boost, with twice-daily flights set to run from March 26.
The carrier’s Boeing 787 will carry the service, with a small premium economy cabin sitting behind a comfortable business class.
Sydney-Tokyo
- NH880 will depart Sydney at 9.45 pm, arriving at Tokyo (Narita) at 5.25am
- NH890 takes off at 12.55pm and lands at Tokyo (Haneda) at 8.30 pm
Tokyo-Sydney
The return flight offers some similar variety for those who prefer a day flight.
- N879 departs Tokyo at 10.20 pm, touching down in Sydney at 9.55 am
- NH889 will see wheels up from Tokyo at 8.55 am, before arriving in Sydney at 8.30 pm – just in time for a good night’s sleep.
Summary: Fly to Japan with points
Since Japan reopened its borders in October 2022, Australia has rekindled its love for ‘the land of the rising sun.’
If you’re a points collector, ANA’s recent announcements could absolutely benefit you. The popular Japanese airline is a member of the global Star Alliance, meaning frequent flyers can book award seats through partner airlines including Singapore Airlines.
ANA also has a partnership with Virgin Australia, so it’s possible that Velocity members may be able to use Velocity Points to book seats on ANA and enjoy reciprocal status benefits in the near future.
Virgin Australia recently relaunched announced that it will launch Cairns-Tokyo flights in June this year, so watch this space!
Would you use your points for a Japan trip?
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Hi Zoe,
Is there any update on the ANA VA partnership and the all important reciprocal FF arrangements? I’ve got ANA flights booked from August and would love to be able to earn status credits on the flights.
Michael
Hi Michael. As far as we’re aware, Virgin Australia has announced it will strengthen its partnership with ANA, with expanded codeshare services and reciprocal loyalty benefits to be implemented throughout 2023. However, there’s no update as to when exactly that will be, as the VA website still sites the partnership is ‘coming in 2023’. We’ll keep you posted!