End of an Era? QF ends A380 operations ex MEL 24 October 2026

[serfty]

QF is paid for these passengers using the lounge

Yes!

In oneworld, outside of any inter-airline agreement the marketing carrier pays for access irrespective of whether it is via "class of service" or status.

 

[jb747]

Wouldn't have been right if it departed on time

I don't think they've departed on time since I left.

 

[Melburnian1]

It supports it in the easterly direction as the aircraft used for QF10 PER-MEL goes on to form QF93 LAX-MEL with 2:15 in MEL meaning PER pax can do an I-I connection.

At least for the next week, it's a two hour stay in MEL with QF10 timetabled to arrive at gate at 2045 and QF93 to depart at 2245.

While QF10 may sometimes arrive early, and there's usually padding of at least half an hour in international flights of any decent length, allowing only two hours for passengers to alight, the new cabin and flight deck crews to come on board, catering to be unloaded and loaded, the aircraft hastily cleaned (not very well!), freight and mail unloaded and loaded, refueling and finally departing passengers boarding is tight. MEL thankfully lacks a curfew but my guess is QF93 will frequently depart late.

 

[dajop]

At least for the next week, it's a two hour stay in MEL with QF10 timetabled to arrive at gate at 2045 and QF93 to depart at 2245.

While QF10 may sometimes arrive early, and there's usually padding of at least half an hour in international flights of any decent length, allowing only two hours for passengers to alight, the new cabin and flight deck crews to come on board, catering to be unloaded and loaded, the aircraft hastily cleaned (not very well!), freight and mail unloaded and loaded, refueling and finally departing passengers boarding is tight. MEL thankfully lacks a curfew but my guess is QF93 will frequently depart late.

Although SQ routinely turn around an A350 in MEL in about 1:25-1:30 (scheduled turnaround 1:15), so if Qf can’t turn around a 787 with 7-20% fewer seats, in 2 hrs what are their ground handlers doing?

 

[LionKing]

I respect and support Qantas decision on not flying A380 for QF93, because the evidence is here:


The busiest travel season for Australians have shown lots of reward seats to America. Why? Demand is simply not there.

There is simply no demand for flights to the USA other than American citizens needing to go home because Australias are turning away from the country.

If I was Qantas executive, I would rather dump A380 capacity into HKG and HND and withdraw all US A380 services to make sure I am fulfilling the demand for Australians favourite destinations.

These days, every student in my classroom are talking about going to Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and China. USA does not welcome us and so we don't want to go to the US - for now.

 

[elanshin]

If I was Qantas executive, I would rather dump A380 capacity into HKG and HND and withdraw all US A380 services to make sure I am fulfilling the demand for Australians favourite destinations.

Can't fly the a380 to HND or they would've done so coming out of covid.

They're also choosing more SIN than HKG which makes sense given their commitment to SIN as their major hub and current connections available at SIN vs HKG.

 

[clifford]

what are their ground handlers doing?

The answer, I guess, is ... not much.

 

[Quickstatus]

The busiest travel season for Australians have shown lots of reward seats to America. Why? Demand is simply not there.

I think the reason is that there is a lot more competition on the transpacific route, not because transpacific demand (in aggregate) is not there.

In my opinion, the A380 is too big for most routes including HKG and HND. There is a reason most airlines have never, or are currently no longer operating the A380.

 

[mviy]

I went to the US this year for a holiday and felt very welcome there. The culture is different there to here, but that’s to be expected when travelling. Though I went on the 787 not the A380 as I flew MEL-SYD-SFO.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

The US is very welcoming to Australians. Saying otherwise is just utter rubbish

 

[Quickstatus]

There is simply no demand for flights to the USA other than American citizens needing to go home because Australias are turning away from the country.

This is objectively untrue.
In July 2026, Qantas (QF) flew more passengers to US than HKG and Japan combined.

These days, every student in my classroom are talking about going to Japan, Vietnam, the Philippines and China. USA does not welcome us and so we don't want to go to the US - for now.

it is also objectively untrue that USA does not welcome travellers from Australia or that travellers from Australia don't want to travel to the USA.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

it is also objectively untrue that USA does not welcome travellers from Australia or that travellers from Australia don't want to travel to the USA.

Well that rather depends on the contents of your phone and your social media posts.

 

[Quickstatus]

Well that rather depends

40,000-50,000 passengers a month on QF, 20-30,000 on UA, 10,000 on AA and 10,000 on DL between AUS and USA with nary a squeak about social media checking appearing in the media suggests otherwise.....

 

[AuSammy]

or that travellers from Australia don't want to travel to the USA.

Sweeping generalisation. I know at a personal level many dozens of people who either cancelled plans to travel to the US or changed their travel plans to avoid the US in the last two years.

Some do, some don’t

 

[Quickstatus]

Some do, some don’t

Which was the point of my comment

 

[alex.siukh]

An airline setting up a First Class lounge in a terminal where it does not have any first class flight is a joke.

 

[leesionn]

An airline setting up a First Class lounge in a terminal where it does not have any first class flight is a joke.

There's a difference between "setting up" a lounge where they no longer offer first class on their own metal, and offering a first class lounge because they previously operated flights with first class there but broader shifts in strategy have caused them to pull it.

I'm sure there's enough platinum QFFs to take advantage of it

 

[esseeeayeenn]

40,000-50,000 passengers a month on QF, 20-30,000 on UA, 10,000 on AA and 10,000 on DL between AUS and USA with nary a squeak about social media checking appearing in the media suggests otherwise.....

I see daily posts about social media checking.
Perhaps this is an illustration of how social media algorithms show different things to different people.
However I could never describe a country which has more guns than people as "welcoming".

 

[dajop]

As I mentioned upthread don’t forget QF’s North America operations are no longer just LAX centred as they were at the time the A380s were first introduced. DFW, SFO and YVR are all entry points in addition to AA JV flights and AKL-JFK. Apart from EK, anirlines are generally deploying smaller aircraft to more end destinations any connecting ports than they ever did in the past, rather than having all their eggs in the one basket.

 

[elanshin]

This is just following the 747 retirement process. QF centered all their remaining 747 routes all from SYD as they started reducing the numbers.

MEL got the brand new 787s first for ages. I definitely remember flying via MEL to SYD because i wanted to be on the 787s instead of the 747.