Dec 6, 2025
Which airline do you prefer?
If money wasn't an issue, which airline and / or air route do you prefer when traveling to Japan?
Former nickname was "Saitama". Changed it to save confusion on place review posts! Irish, 20+ years in Japan! I also write on my personal website: insaitama.com
Best Answer
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on Dec 7
Back to Australia I'd pick either JAL, ANA, or Qantas which all fly that route. I'd probably lean towards the Japanese carriers since the customer service is always impeccable. Qantas is great, too, but the Japanese omotenashi is hard to beat. I've flown Jetstar before too but wouldn't again, I don't think. They can be a bit unreliable with cancellations or delays since they're a budget airline.
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on Dec 7
In the last 10 years, I've traveled to the west coast of North America, the UK, and Southeast Asia. One Cathay Pacific route I like is Narita, a stopover in Hong Kong, and arrival in London. The service is excellent. I prefer to travel JAL or British Airways. The service is smooth, and the and the hospitality on board is quite good.
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on Dec 7
@TonetoEdo Heard quite good things about Cathay Pacific too, they do a stopover in HKG if you're traveling to Australia, and then they have direct flights to both Sydney and Melbourne. Haven't flown them myself, yet!
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on Dec 9
Once I used Singapore Airlines on the way to the states. I had heard they are one of the best and I could use Delta frequent flyer miles. It was probably the best in flight I've used so far. We also had a great experience using Canada Air a couple years back. Mostly that the immigration was like domestic inbound flights, it was so easy! Honestly as long as it isn't a discount airline or one based in the US, there's no concern about cancelations or being late etc.
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on Dec 11
@genkidesu I was impressed by the service, in-flight WIFI, and classic Chinese and Hong Kong meals. Service is polite, and flight attendants speak a lot of languages, including English, Japanese, Cantonese, and a handful of other languages. It's a treat to hear them interact with other passengers in whatever languages.
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on Dec 15
@TonetoEdo I often think about the food as a big deciding factor when looking at airlines, so it's encouraging to hear that Cathay's offerings were good. If I flew an Australian carrier back home, the food would be very Western. Fine for me who still gravitates towards Western food a lot, but my kids would 100% prefer Japanese (or other Asian) style meals, as would my husband.
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on Dec 15
@genkidesu The menus on Cathay Pacific incorporate a lot of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese dishes. It's a preview, maybe even a tease, of what you'll get in transit at airport dining. It tempts me to stop over longer in Hong Kong...
7 Answers