It’s finally possible to redeem Qantas points for Japan Airlines flights on the Qantas website! This means that Qantas award bookings on all Oneworld airlines can now be made online.
This is good news for Qantas Frequent Flyers wishing to redeem points to Tokyo – or beyond to Japan Airlines destinations across Asia, Europe and North America. Previously, to redeem Qantas points for Japan Airlines flights it was necessary to call Qantas. The former method was time-consuming because the call centre waiting times can run into the hours. Further, some call centre staff were unaware of the correct procedures for booking Japan Airlines award flights.
Japan Airlines flies daily from both Sydney and Melbourne to Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Three-class Boeing 787 Dreamliners with Economy, Premium Economy and Business seats are used.
There are several benefits of redeeming Qantas points for Japan Airlines flights. Firstly, JAL has a great product in all three classes of travel. The Business class seating and service is top-notch. But even Economy passengers enjoy comfortable, wide seats with great legroom!
Join the discussion: Is Japan Airlines Business class from Melbourne to Tokyo worth it?
Secondly, there is a reasonable amount of award availability on Japan Airlines flights – including in premium cabins.
Japan Airlines fuel surcharges are also lower than Qantas’ own carrier charges. On the Melbourne-Tokyo route, for example, Japan Airlines imposes $87.20 in fuel surcharges. Qantas adds $90-$180 in carrier charges when redeeming Qantas points for a Qantas-operated flight on the same route. These amounts do not include airport & government taxes.
Japan Airlines has a very solid Japanese domestic network, but also flies to numerous destinations across Europe and North America. Flying from Melbourne, short connections via Tokyo-Narita are available through to Helsinki, Frankfurt and Moscow. And from Sydney, short connections are available when flying to places like New York, Boston or Vancouver.
The Qantas website now displays award availability for all Oneworld airlines. Most other Qantas partner airlines are covered as well, except for China Eastern, Air Niugini and Jet Airways. However, it is still not possible to book Qantas award flights that originate in Qatar, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Cuba and many other countries online.
AFF members first noticed Japan Airlines award seats appearing sporadically on the Qantas website back in February. Full functionality was finalised last week.
Japan Airlines award flights can be booked up to 330 days in advance, except domestic itineraries within Japan which can only be booked within two months of travel.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: JL awards now bookable on Qantas website
Would you like help using your frequent flyer points?
Australian Frequent Flyer offers a personalised service that’s designed to take the hard work out of redeeming your points!
Our Frequent Flyer Concierge team of experts can help you to find the perfect flights using your points. Just let them know how many points you have and where you would like to go, and they’ll prepare an itinerary for you.
