Originally Posted by
CPH-Flyer
I am actually rather surprised it is being sent to Sydney. It used to be Vancouver and Seattle that suffered, while not great either they are relatively short TPAC flights.
Perhaps surprisingly, Tokyo to Sydney is almost exactly the same distance as those two routes - it's only 34 miles longer than Tokyo - Vancouver:
A map from the Great Circle Mapper - Great Circle Mapper
Originally Posted by
Stratoliner777
That's very disappointing. I wonder if this is a one-off or only for a limited period. Regional J on a 10-hour flight is not acceptable IMO. Somewhat relatedly, this trip report in ANA J from SGN to NRT (6 hour flight), in February 2022, experienced what appears to be a one-off sub from regional 787-8 to long-haul 787-9 (the opposite scenario):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPd2vWF9WnY
I suppose if the flight time is not changed, then ANA does not allow you to swap flights? Last year, I had my flight departure time on HND-LAX changed (maybe 20 minutes difference?) and the ANA website gave me the option to switch to any HND-LAX flight that day at no extra charge. Consequently, I made sure to choose the flight with the best J product (was originally booked in the standard J seat, then switched to a flight with the Room).
I'm pretty sure this is is just a one-off, for operational reasons. There is in fact a second SYD-HND flight that day, departing at midday instead of 9pm, and on a 789 which is tantalisingly wide open in business class, however work commitments preclude me from being able to take that flight (which would also mean having to pay for a night's accommodation in Tokyo). It's a shame they couldn't switch the 788 onto that non-overnight flight.
Anyway, I've emailed ANA asking for compensation. My expectations are not high, but let's see what happens.