QF 8 forced to land at [insert Pacific Island] due to strong headwinds

[el_rooto]

AKL - JFK is 8828mi, SYD - DFW is 8578mi, could they kit a 744ER to go the extra 250mi, SYD - AKL - JFK sounds more preferable to SYD - LAX - JFK.

 

[gumpy]

I think you'll find that quite a lot of both corporate and leisure travellers from BNE who are visiting the the east coast or the mid-west will use QF8, as a way of avoiding LAX.

I'm booked to do it in a few months time and I have chosen the flight specifically for that reason.

Having another direct flight from the US to BNE is a huge advantage for QF in Queensland. I'm sure part of the reasoning for the DFW-BNE-SYD routing is to provide that additional direct flight to BNE.

does it go via BNE on the way there as well???

 

[Mrmaxwell]

Wouldn't HNL be way north of track?

BD

You would think so but it's actually only a few additional hundred miles.

The bigger issue as someone mentioned would be the 'domestic' segment of DFW-HNL. I would love something other than the 50yo QF 767 currently flying to HNL to land there!

I'm sure SYD-DFW is not an issue with headwinds, only the return.

 

[airbound]

Amazingly, the great circle mileage difference between DFW-BNE and DFW-NOU-BNE is a mere single mile!

DFW-BNE: 8303 miles

DFW-NOU: 7402 miles
NOU-BNE: 902 miles
DFW-NOU-BNE: 8304 miles

 

[Kefci2000]

One would assume rounding?????

 

[ftm]

Wouldn't HNL be way north of track?

BD

I spoke to a pilot who flew DFW-BNE the other week. He said they went 100 miles south of LA and then over Hawaii.

Sounds like there will be a great deal of variability in the routes the flight will take over the Pacific, depending on the winds of the day. Each flight will likely be different.

 

[pyffii]

I know this post is somewhat dated but we are flying QF 8 on Saturday and notice that over the past few weeks this flight has been rerouted many times due,I suspect , to strong headwinds...Does anyone know if this is the case ?...Yesterdays flight seems to be diverted to Auckland...Is this a first ?...Is Noumea out ?...Really not phased as we are coming home after nearly completing a DONE4...Just more curious about whether our flight might encounter "issues"

 

[docjames]

The routing will always vary to a degree to minimise any headwind.

In the event of a stop for fuel, it will depend on the flight track on a given day, plus crewing requirements etc.

NOU and AKL seem most common (although I believe NAN is also a possibility). AKL allows some pax to be loaded onto flights direct to their final destination (ie. pax not ending their in BNE) so that has some (minor) advantage. The trade off is that by the time the plane lands in AKL, the flight crew will likely be out of hours (I think) so QF would have to transit a crew to AKL to fly the aircraft back. A stop in NOU is early enough in the duty time that I believe this is less of an issue. I'm happy to be corrected on this.

QF has been flying the route long enough now, and used their contingency plans enough now, that the inconvenience should be minor in the scheme of things.

 

[pyffii]

Agreed...Guess we will know all on Saturday night...Thanks docjames

 

[smatho10]

Guess where QF8 is going today - and its not BNE

FlightAware > Qantas (QF) #8 Flight Tracker

 

[pyffii]

Now it seems as if one 747 is going to Brisbane via Auckland and another via Papeete and Auckland...One just has to wonder what miles and SC's will be credited !!!!

 

[acoolbreeze]

Is this the flight that flies back with a diminished pax capacity, and if so, this would mean more of a chance getting two seats, or possibly a row, to ones-self?

 

[amaroo]

The head wind issues with this flight has stuffed up quite a few Flounging plans for BNE passengers transiting in SYD

Still the best J seats on the BNE-SYD run:!:

 

[Ansett]

With regards to the possibility of QF using 388 on this route it may well happen sooner than people expect.
Have recently done QF127 to Hong Kong and speaking with crew this is not making money specially with First an Business cabin. According to the crew it will soon be replaced with either an A330 or a 747. This would free up one 388 for use and with some rescheduling apparantley they could offer daily 388 DFW.

 

[Platinum A332]

With regards to the possibility of QF using 388 on this route it may well happen sooner than people expect.
Have recently done QF127 to Hong Kong and speaking with crew this is not making money specially with First an Business cabin. According to the crew it will soon be replaced with either an A330 or a 747. This would free up one 388 for use and with some rescheduling apparantley they could offer daily 388 DFW.

I do not think that is possible. QF has only received 12 A380, and only 11 A380 are in service as they decided to trash the aircraft with a horrible new reconfiguration. Even with 12 aircraft in the fleet, 10 will be used as follows;
3 for SYD-SIN-LHR
3 for MEL-SIN-LHR
2 for SYD-LAX
2 for MEL-LAX

That only leaves 2 aircraft. 1 to be used SYD-HKG and 1 as an operational spare. If QF did decide to get 14 aircraft delivered, then DFW would have been a possibility. But those plans no longer exist.

IF QF change to an A330/B747 into HKG, they would lose their only competitive advantage over CX.

 

[NM]

I understand that when QF started the QF8 routing they were aware that the distance would make it marginal during a short window in the Aussie winter period due to the less seasonal nature of the headwinds over the Pacific and high temps at DFW at this time of the year. These conditions are generally worst during July and August. Outside that window, the conditions are less likely to require a "splash and dash" diversion.

 

[smit0847]

That only leaves 2 aircraft. 1 to be used SYD-HKG and 1 as an operational spare. If QF did decide to get 14 aircraft delivered, then DFW would have been a possibility. But those plans no longer exist.

IF QF change to an A330/B747 into HKG, they would lose their only competitive advantage over CX.

Do they really keep a A380 as an operation spare? Surely its far too valuable an aircraft to have sitting around doing nothing when they have 747s that they're about to throw out that could do the job just as well?!

I would have thought DFW would be the most obvious choice for the next A380 route - I would have thought that would have more pax than SCL, JNB or FRA.

Also, do CX still have the fixed shell Y seating on flights to Australia? That's a definite disadvantage compared to Qantas!

 

[yohy?!]

Also, do CX still have the fixed shell Y seating on flights to Australia? That's a definite disadvantage compared to Qantas!

Hard shell Y will be gone by end of next year, it doesnt seem to cause them much trouble with 4 flights a day into Syd!

IF QF change to an A330/B747 into HKG, they would lose their only competitive advantage over CX.

CX has already trumped the A380 advantage with New Business and PE across all flights into SYD, the QF offering into HKG is quite poor on A330 so hopefully they at least keep a 747 if they ditch the 380.

 

[ermen]

You think they will cancel the A380 to HKG so soon after they trumpeted the use of that plane into that port?
I must say though that the timings for SYD HKG are not very condusive at all for a business traveller!

 

[Paddy55]

You think they will cancel the A380 to HKG so soon after they trumpeted the use of that plane into that port?
I must say though that the timings for SYD HKG are not very condusive at all for a business traveller!

It seems to be QF's way of saying 'Fly Cathay' isn't it?