Status credits I absolutely agree with, but otherwise I think I would fly JAL Premium Economy for more or less the same price on most dates that I can see.
- JAL PE has 42" Seat Pitch, VA J only 38"
And that seat pitch makes a huge difference when you are travelling such distances. Heck I remember flying Norwegian on their 737MAX from New York to Edinburgh and even for such a short "domestic" flight was cramped for a couple of days.
- Food will likely be a bit better on VA, given JAL only serves Economy meals in PE, although they do have a reasonably high standard of catering
Debatable. If you are into Japanese cuisine, I reckon the JAL menu will be a winner compared to the usual Aussie stuff you find on VA like pies.
- I don't drink alcohol, but JL does service Champagne in Long Haul PE. Unsure what VA's offering here will be, but it'll probably be comparable
Does Virign provide actual champagne on their international J service or is it simply Australian champagne (i.e. apple juice)?
- JAL PE includes lounge access - Qantas Business in SYD/MEL (admittedly quite a poor lounge by intl standards), and JAL Sakura in HND/NRT. VA nominally includes lounge access, but it seems like at this point there are no lounges to actually use.
- Of course, if you have QF WP (or other OWE) you can use the excellent QF F and JL F lounges, whereas currently even VA WP will not get you into any lounges.
- Hopefully a VA partnership with ANA is coming re. lounge access in HND at least.
I think JAL is the winner when it comes to lounges hands down.
- JAL flies direct from SYD/MEL vs. transiting Cairns
And there's the kicker! Having to connect and deal with all the cough that stems from that (including a terminal transfer at CNS) versus just boarding the damn plane. Then again, I think some could make an argument that transiting through CNS would be a nicer experience than going through the gauntlet at MEL/SYD INTL.
- VA has free Wifi for Business Class, JAL does not
That's of course supposing VA has it installed on their aircraft by then. Also, it's unclear what the quality of said internet will be. I reckon JAL uses the Panasonic wifi system which can be quite good.
- VA J is ~$2200, JL PE is ~$2300 on most dates I checked
Comparable price but the question is how does that work out in terms of status credit accrual?
- In general the 787 is probably more comfortable than the 737 Max for long haul I suspect (although I've never flown a 737M long haul, so happy to be corrected)
- JL has IFE screens (admittedly not the best selection for english speaking customers), we currently don't know if VA will have them (probably not?)
787 isn't probably better when it comes to passenger comfort versus the 737 MAX (aka MD-737), it actually is better. In particular the 787 has significantly better climate control meaning the humidity in the cabin isn't like you are in the Sahara desert which on a long haul flight like TYO can really add up.
I think I would have to see VA Business Class priced closer to Jetstar Business Max (~$1800-2000 return) to consider it over the JL option as a traveller originating SYD (or MEL for that matter).
What Jetstar has going for it is they operate the 787 over the MD-737, which again has many benefits on long haul flights.
Well, JQ doesn't fly out of Sydney to Japan, so you have to transit Cairns or Gold Coast too (and therefore no FLounge)
This also has the added hassle that you need to collect your bag at OOL/CNS and re-check it for your onward flight to TYO
