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Qantas has announced that it plans to operate a new service between Melbourne and Honolulu from next year which will see the airline adding over 40,000 seats/year to its operations between Australia and Hawaii.
In truth, this route isn’t entirely new because Qantas is simply taking it over from Jetstar (a subsidiary of Qantas), but not only will Qantas be operating the route with an extra frequency, but there are other benefits to this change as well.
Qantas replaces Jetstar between Melbourne and Honolulu
As things stand, Jetstar operates a twice weekly service between Melbourne and Honolulu using its 787-8 Dreamliners, but that service is set to end on 30 April 2025 with Qantas taking over the route from 1 May 2025 and operating it 3x/week.
Here’s the Qantas schedule as it currently stands:
QF105 MEL 17:05 – 07:40 HNL (Tue, Thu & Sat)
QF106 HNL 09:40 – 17:15+1 day MEL (Tue, Thu & Sat)
Compare that to the Jetstar service it’s replacing*:
JQ1 MEL 15:45 – 05:50 HNL (Mon & Wed)
JQ2 HNL 08:30 – 15:35+1 day (Mon & Wed)
*Jetstar’s April 2025 schedule.
This is good news
There’s quite a bit to like about this move.
Firstly, three weekly flights is better than two weekly flights.
Secondly, The arrival time into Honolulu and the departure time from Honolulu are both a little more civilized with the Qantas schedule than they are with the Jetstar schedule.
Thirdly, Qantas is a OneWorld carrier and Jetstar isn’t (even though it’s a wholly owned Qantas subsidiary), so flyers will now be able to earn and burn a variety of OneWorld currencies on this route (AAdvantage miles, Alaska miles, Avios, etc…) as well as enjoying any elite benefits they’re entitled to.
Finally, Qantas will be operating this route with its A330-200 aircraft and they’re a very different beat to the Dreamliners that Jetstar is currently operating on this route.
In Business Class, the Jetstar Dreamliner offers 21 recliner seats in a 2-3-2 layout while on the Qantas A330-200, there are 27 lie-flat Business Class seats set out in a 1-2-1 layout giving all passengers in the cabin direct access to an aisle.
Essentially, the Business Class cabin on the Jetstar Dreamliner is really a long-haul Premium Economy cabin where the Business Class cabin on the Qantas A330-200 offers true modern Business Class seats (Qantas A330 Business Class review).
The good news continues into the Economy Class cabin (there’s no Premium Economy cabin on this route).
Where the Jetstar Dreamliner offers a 3-3-3 seating arrangement in Economy Class, the Qantas A330 offers a 2-4-2 seating arrangement which should be popular with couples and families of four.
Most seats in the Jetstar Economy Class cabin are 17″ wide and offer just 30″ of pitch (leg room) and 5″ of recline. In the Qantas Economy Class cabin, passengers get 17.2″ of width, 32″ of pitch and 6″ of recline.
The Qantas Economy Class cabin should offer a considerably better experience on a route of this length.
Bottom line
From May next year, Qantas will be taking over the Melbourne – Honolulu route from Jetstar and as well as seeing the number of weekly flights increase, this swap will offer flyers more comfortable cabins and the opportunity to earn and burn a variety of loyalty currencies.
For most people considering making a booking on this route, this is very good news.
