Darwin to Japan - limited options

[cwliew]

Hello all - I have a dilemma, that I'm not sure what the best way to solve may be.

I need to travel next january from darwin to Sapporo...I'd like to fly qantas, but they don't offer very many good options.

ie: The website suggests I go Darwin - Adel - HK - Sapporo and has other options substituting alternative stop overs than Adel such as Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
All up, a business class airfare through a return leg would be slightly over 200,000 qantas frequent flyer points.

I am keen to fly direct, and it is troublesome that there are no other airlines that fly darwin direct to hong kong or even japan. JAL doesn't either (an option as it is a OW alliance thing)

Has anyone else made this trip and have any suggestions?

I don't mind taking a few flights. The other option I have is to book through my credit cards rewards programs directly - but the overall points to do this is far far more. ie: economy return ticket melbourne hong kong is 200,000 points with CBA travel plus.

Something tells me that the best thing would be to just use my QFF points and go darwin, brisbane, HK, sapporo...

Or else, buying an economy ticket and upgrading with QFF points...
I have a QC membership and will be gold by then if that changes anything.


Any other ideas?

Thanks!

[dajop]

Another option worth considering maybe buy a cheap Jetstar fare Darwin to/from either Singapore, Bali or Ho Chi Minh City, and then use FF points pick up JAL flights from one of those points to Sapporo via Tokyo or Osaka. Other option is via Sydney ... DRW-SYD-NRT-CTS.

[docjames]

I agree - cheapie to SIN, then SIN-NRT on JAL. Or SQ if you can get a good price.

[cwliew]

Thanks for the input!

Yeah, that might be an idea...but I'd really hoped not to have to go through singapore this time as I am travelling with a group who are all leaving from adelaide/melbourne and are spending the night in HK...ah well, perhaps I'll just have to spend the night in singapore instead.

Do you get status credits and FF points for travelling with one world partner airlines?

[tuapekastar]

Do you get status credits and FF points for travelling with one world partner airlines?

Yes you do, dependent on being in an eligible earning class (and obviously it must be a paid class)!

Earning table here.

[markis10]

CX ex CNS might be an option.

[browski]

Not sure of the cost, but another interesting route is to fly something cheap to Cairns and then.....

Continental Micronesia:

Departs Cairns, Australia (CNS)Mon, Jan 181:35a 4 hrs 30 minArrives Guam, Guam (GUM)6:05a

Departs Guam, Guam (GUM)Mon, Jan 187:40a 4 hrs 45 minArrives Sapporo, Japan (CTS)11:25a



Departs Sapporo, Japan (CTS)Mon, Jan 2512:25p 4 hrs 35 minArrives Guam, Guam (GUM)6:00p

Departs Guam, Guam (GUM)Mon, Jan 257:55p 4 hrs 40 minArrives Cairns, Australia (CNS)Tue, Jan 2612:35a

Great connection in GUM, but possibly awkward wait in CNS on return to DRW. First flight out of CNS-DRW leaves at 5.30AM.

[justinbrett]

This won't help at all, but exactly one year ago I flew from Darwin to Tokyo (and then on to London). Qantas 717 from DRW to CNS, short stop in Cairns intl QP, then direct to Tokyo on Qantas 767.

It is such a shame there are no longer any Qantas mainline international flights from either Darwin or Cairns.

By the way, I just flew from Melbourne to Darwin on Jetstar and it cost me $409 one way - booked months in advance (similar fares on adjacent days). I guarantee you it was never that expensive when Qantas flew the route. Even now it is cheaper to fly via ADL, SYD or BNE all with Qantas. I hate Jetstar!