Well heres some news to all of you travelers. Virgin Australia from next year will be launching a new service from Cairns to Tokyo Haneda which clocks in at a massive 3,638-mile (5,855km)
It is expected that the route will start from MEL and SYD (alternating) with a stop in CNS before making the cross across the pacific to Japan.
Cairns - Tokyo Haneda: VA77, 13:15-20:00 (7h 45m block time)
Tokyo Haneda - Cairns: VA78, 21:45-06:15+1 (7h 30m block time)
When VA started up its previous Intl flights this year - the first week had very good sales as well as great points availability.
Alright its come through on my end, had this post written early this morning.
Jetstar was doing similar to this in 2014. Melbourne to Cairns, Cairns to Osaka.
Then it just stopped:(
My Qantas flight attendant was telling me late-2019 that they were about to launch direct to Haneda airport and Osaka with cheaper flights. Then COVID happened :( The flights then were like $400 return.
I thought that was around the time Qantas picked the route back up?
I used to use Jetstar, Singapore, then Qantas from Mel to KIX and in recent years Qantas was doing it, albeit via SYD instead of Cairns
Not entirely sure if they did! Very possible:)
I just remember thinking how good is it flying 4 hours and still being in Australia. Made the 2nd leg easy
This is why I persist with jv. Little nuggets like this make me laugh.
jv = Ozbargains Commentor of the Year 2022. ;)
jv = little nugget of the year
In business it's doable. narrow body 8 hours, eww.
It depends on person. Eww for me but wife can sleep in a box container if she had too.
and often does
agree really tiring on single isle for long time
Think of it as Ryanair but twice as bad. 3hrs in Ryanair is bad. 7 hours is just madness.
Always wanted to visit Japan where nearly every picture significant numbers of the crowd look like they want to commit suicide and acording to the news many of them do.. I guess commuting hours and hours every day would do that too you.
Suicide rate in Japan is pretty similar to Australia. Maybe you would prefer somewhere like Afghanistan where it is only half as much?
somewhere like Afghanistan where it is only half as much?
That's because the Taliban get to them first…
Have you ever looked at a picture of anywhere Japan and actually seen anybody smile ?
Yes
@donga100: Here are a few stock photos of Tokyo
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/crowded-subway-gm458104055…
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/shibuya-station-in-tokyo-j…
Do they really look even partially happy or do these people look depressed or tired and stuck in the system ?
@CowFrogHorse: Nobody is happy in peak hour public transport, anywhere in the world….maybe Antarctica.
Having been to Japan, plenty of happy people.
@AdosHouse: Yes but Japan's work culture treats people like shite and unfortunately because of the hours and the length of the work week those same people are victims of this for most of the week and their lives.
@CowFrogHorse: In the 90's this was correct, some light reading, https://we-xpats.com/en/guide/as/jp/detail/9616/#Full-timers…
@AdosHouse: My articles and photos are current.
Living in a place that demands those work hours of people along with hours commuting each way to and from work will make anybody unwell and depressed.
As cities grow in size, more people lose in the rat race, they get tired of the very very long days, thats a fact, Japan with its mega cities is an example of this unhealthy lifestyle.
If you had to work 10 - 12 hours and then do 4 hours commuting of course it gets old very quickly.
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36824927
How Japan came to believe in depression
—
yeh sounds just great…
https://theculturetrip.com/japan/articles/a-cold-of-the-soul…
Every day, roughly 60 people take their own life in Japan, an average of just over 21,000 a year. For every suicide, it is believed that there are another 25 attempts.
These figures, released last year by the Japanese counselling and support service Tell, look alarming – and they are. In a country of 127 million people, nearly one in four people have considered committing suicide.
I dont think Australia is anywhere near that depressed…
RUOK?
I'd go for the sushi.
Boeing 737 MAX
Is that aircraft going to make it that far? lol
Especially since it's uphill all the way…
🤣🤣
I'd rather it go uphill all the way than up and down and up and down like the Lion air or Ethiopian air flights
Oof
Maybe if they have the "service pack" installed?
I would rather cut off my pecker than spend 8 hours on a narrowbody
Just think of the toilets after that.
Exactly, what a nightmare.
8 hours on a 737 in the middle seat… bugger that for a game of soldiers.
No way in a 737.
Virgin got rid of it's wide body aircraft during voluntary administration.
They need to get some more for their ventures into international routes and for SYD/MEB to Perth. Other they won't be competitive.
What's the top 3 longest routes ?
The longest route i ever had was when i'd just had a couple and…
What's the top 3 longest routes ?
That would have been a few years back now…
"Cairns to Tokyo Haneda which clocks in at a massive 3,638-mile"
Massive indeed.
Nah that doesn't make sense. Its not even close to the top 10. Flights such as Perth to London and Auckland to NY are much longer. Cairns is already half way to Japan and its a straight line. Just head pretty much north.
Might be number 4 for time if they plan to fly at 500 kmh. It is a 737Max and these planes are a bit "delicate" after all.
It’s the 4th longest 737 MAX flight
OMG. Sounds like a cricket stat to me. "And this is his highest innings playing at the MCG on a Weds evening in July….."
Cricket plays mostly during the summer in Australia.
I met the commander for A320 from Indigo airline ( Indian) and she mentioned that they are now planning to fly the A320 neo to Istanbul from India and also to HKG direct finally she mentioned sorry for the people who will be sitting in a cramped seats for such a long time in single isle aircraft.
Yes single isle aircraft for longer then 3 hours is really unsuitable.
Going to have to politely disagree. I think 3 hours is fine, you can't expect widebodies on all routes over 3 hours if there isn't the capacity to fill them. Any more than 5 hours I'd say is starting to get uncomfortable on a narrowbody in Economy Class.
You are misinformed.