Virgin Australia has today announced that it will cease all flights between Cairns and Tokyo, with the final departure due on 24th February 2025. The change comes just thirteen months after Virgin Australia rolled out the red carpet for its Haneda route.
As it turns out, a narrowbody redeye from Tokyo to Far North Queensland was too hard to sell, with the airline long struggling to turn a profit on the route. Data shows Virgin Australia’s Tokyo service regularly departing less than half full, with the last week seeing as few as 58 passengers onboard its longest flight.
Despite this, an anonymous spokesperson for Jetstar tells Flight Hacks that they are experiencing “Consistent and sustained load factors,” on their Cairns-Tokyo flights year-round.
Virgin’s Chief Transformation and Strategy Officer, Alistair Hartley, apologised to impacted customers, explaining the service to Tokyo is no longer commercially viable.
“Our international network continues to be a central part of our strategy. Withdrawing from Cairns-Tokyo services was a tough decision, but unfortunately the recovery of inbound visitors from Japan is significantly below forecast,”
Mr Hartley also reinforced Virgin Australia’s “strong partnership” with ANA, which includes the ability for Velocity Frequent Flyers to earn and redeem points on the airline. But despite having such a close relationship with the Japanese carrier, Virgin Australia won’t bother rebooking its affected customers to ANA, instead telling its customers to sort themselves out.
Virgin Australia began operating between Cairns and Tokyo Haneda in June 2023, initially using Boeing 737-700 aircraft due to delays in the arrival of its Boeing 737 MAX 8s which have since been taken over the route. Those aircraft will now be redeployed onto domestic routes.
The airline currently operates a fleet of seven 737 MAX 8s, with an eighth scheduled for delivery in September 2024, and a further six on order thereafter.
In this post:
Booked After 24 February? Here’s Your Options
Virgin Australia says the route cancellation will impact around 2,000 passengers. If that’s you, you can select one of four options;
1. Receive A Full Refund
Just like any cancelled flight, Virgin Australia will offer a full refund to the original form of payment. There will be no fees for this option, and if you used a credit or debit card for payment, the funds should land back in your account within 21 days of cancellation. If you originally paid using a Travel Bank Credit, refunds to a Travel Bank are typically instant but can take up to 21 days.
To request a refund, simply call the Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre on 13 67 89 and explain your situation.
2. Receive A Travel Bank Credit
Instead of receiving a refund to the card or other form of payment you originally used, you can opt for a Virgin Australia Travel Bank Credit. I’m not sure why you would want a credit over a full refund, but as above, simply call the Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre to organise a Travel Credit.
Travel Credits are valid for 12 months from the date they are issued, and will be issued in the name of the first passenger listed on your original booking.
3. Switch To An Earlier Tokyo Flight
By calling the Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre, you can switch to an earlier date prior to the route withdrawal. You must still fly with Virgin Australia between Cairns and Tokyo.
Choosing this option waives the change fee and fare difference, meaning you won’t need to pay anything extra.
4. Change To An Alternative Virgin Australia Destination
By calling the Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre, you can switch your destination to another served by Virgin Australia, as long as it is within 10 days of your original departure date. The change fee is waived, but you will need to pay any fare difference if your new flight costs more than your original one.
Can I Get Rebooked On Another Airline?
Virgin Australia GCC staff told Flight Hacks that “The ability to re-accommodate guests on another airline was not an option,” and that affected guests could “Obtain a refund with Virgin Australia and rebook with another airline on their own.”
But for flights covered by Australian Consumer Law, your airline usually needs to let you choose between a refund or an alternative flight if yours is cancelled. That applies regardless of how far in advance the cancellation is made. There’s also the Montreal Convention, or MC99, which protects international travellers on the way airlines handle claims for flight delays and cancellations.
If you have the time and patience, it would be worth pushing Virgin Australia to accommodate you on another airline. Especially if an alternative arrangement is going to cost more as a result of the cancellation.
FAQs – Virgin Cancels Tokyo Flying
If I rebook with another airline and it costs more, will Virgin Australia reimburse me?
If you decide to book with another carrier and it costs more than what you had paid with Virgin Australia, you can request to be reimbursed through Virgin Australia’s Online Claim Form here.
My accommodation is non-refundable. Will Virgin Australia reimburse me?
If you have travel insurance, Virgin Customer Service can provide an insurance letter to support your claim. If you don’t have travel insurance, you can request to be reimbursed for your lost accommodation via Virgin Australia’s Online Claim Form here.
I cancelled my Tokyo flights and received a Travel Bank Credit before this announcement. Can I switch to a refund?
If you cancelled a Virgin Australia flight between Cairns and Tokyo Haneda before this announcement was made, and received a Travel Bank Credit, you can switch to a refund instead. Your original travel dates must be on/after 24 February 2025.
I booked with an OTA or Travel Agent. What should I do?
Like all airlines, Virgin Australia will not offer any assistance for flights booked with a Travel Agent or booked via a third party website. You’ll need to contact your Travel Agent or OTA.
Why anyone would choose and why planning staff would think anyone want to fly that plane in a domestic shorthaul config for nearly 8 hours boggles the mind, were they high?