Will Qantas have Direct Flights to all 7 continents with Sunrise?

[RSVKanga]

Just realised that when Sunrise services commence in ‘26, SYD will be the only airport in the world to have direct flights to all 7 continents.

 

[RSVKanga]

New York flights are fine, it's the SYD-LHR that is the issue

Wait and see how heavy these new tanks are..........

The intentions and language style of messages like this, and others resembles the language that the QR and anti-QF lobbyists and operatives based in Australia would use.

“The fuel tank will be too heavy - SYD-LHR is off the cards!”

“There will be geopolitical airspace issues that make SYD-LHR unsustainable!”

“QF’s SIN-LHR and PER-LHR routes are also at risk they might as well stop too!”

None of these issues are major, and it’s highly unlikely they will be true.

QF1 SYD-LHR nonstop is all systems go at this stage, and airlines like QR should genuinely be worried about market share loss when other services like SYD-CDG and SYD-FRA launch - just like how flying three-stop between Australia and Europe was replaced by two-stop, which was then replaced by the current one-stop, nonstop will eventually become the norm by the mid-late 2030s at the expense of the ME3.

<redacted>

 

[Cheatah]

Just realised that when Sunrise services commence in ‘26, SYD will be the only airport in the world to have direct flights to all 7 continents.

SYD has flights to Antartica ?

LHR I think today is the only airport with direct flights to 6 continents

 

[RSVKanga]

SYD has flights to Antartica ?

LHR I think today is the only airport with direct flights to 6 continents

Yes, SYD has Qantas sightseeing flights to Antarctica. Qantas is also the only airline that flies to all 7 continents.

 

[oz_mark]

Yes, SYD has Qantas sightseeing flights to Antarctica. Qantas is also the only airline that flies to all 7 continents.

I think it's a stretch to say that it has flights to Antarctica.

 

[RSVKanga]

I think it's a stretch to say that it has flights to Antarctica.

Well clearly Simple Flying disagrees with you.

I think because of the obvious climatic circumstances in Antarctica and it being uninhabitable, I wouldn’t be too fussed on whether those flights land there or not - they’re still flights to Antarctica

 

[AIRwin]

LHR I think today is the only airport with direct flights to 6 continents

DXB? DOH? IST? JFK?

 

[RichardMEL]

Well they fly there but do not land. I guess it's a matter of definitions really?

 

[dajop]

LHR I think today is the only airport with direct flights to 6 continents

And DXB, DOH & JNB all have non-stop flights to 6 continents (and JFK comes close, it has non-stops to Oceania but not Australia obviously).

IST & JFK also have "direct" flights to 6 continents.

 

[RooFlyer]

I think because of the obvious climatic circumstances in Antarctica and it being uninhabitable, I wouldn’t be too fussed on whether those flights land there or not - they’re still flights to Antarctica

Yeah, sort of like my direct flight HBA-BNE is a flight to NSW . Or my flight SIN-LHR is a flight to .... any of the dozen or more countries we overfly.

Adelaide is basically Australia’s CHC - they have no long haul flights from their flag carrier but foreign airlines operate their long-haul dailies into these cities. It’s profitable for the foreign carriers but would be unsustainable for airlines like QF and NZ to have long haul from ADL and CHC respectively.

Funny, that's a line run by someone else here and equally fatuous. Neither say why it wouldn't it be profitable for Qantas to fly internationally from Adelaide when it is apparently profitable for other airlines who don't have the advantage of a 'home base'? QF have a hugely 'loyal' pool of flyers & Qantas Club/Qantas FF members, I dare say multiple times of the other airlines' 'loyal' flyers combined. Why wouldn't they choose Qantas over those wrenched foreign airlines, if offered the choice?

ADL-SIN would be very popular to Sth Australians, timed to join up to the QF flights onwards to Europe. Heck, when I go to Europe starting in Hobart, I fly out via Adelaide as its a better experience/less competitive and often cheaper than me connecting through SYD or MEL. Of course, I choose QR and QSuites ... which leads us to the real answer why Qantas doesn't fly out of Adelaide - it would be uncompetative due to quality of product & cost and the lack of suitable aircraft doesn't help.

Airlines like QR on the East Aus-Europe corridor will become the equivalent of airlines like Fiji Airways or Hawaiian on the East Aus-West USA corridor, where over 80% fly nonstop. A matter of when, not if. By by the mid 30s to early 40s QR won’t be a competitor for QF to worry about, it’ll be BA, UA and VS flying alongside QF on the Sunrise routes who QF will fight for market share against.

You seem a bit obsessed with Qatar Airways. Happy to say I am too, as its the best business class in the sky and competitively priced.

I, and a number of others here have said we wouldn't fly direct Oz-LHR, even if it wasn't horrendously more expensive, just to save, what, 5 hours to London? Your important business types, sure, get there ASAP. But I look forward to a walk-around, nice lounge meal and more to break the journey. A saving of about 5 hours means nothing if you are going to Europe for a week or more. So why pay extra for the priveledge? Oh, and I dare say all those nice features of the Sunrise flights such as wellness zones and extra space will go the way of the Captain Cook Lounge, in time.

Airlines like QR and TK also offer the opportunity to on-fly direct to numerous ports in Europe, without having to backtrack from (the very expensive charge-wise) LHR. Loyal Qantas Sunrise flyers not going to UK instantly lose those precious 5 hours gained, and pay not only the extra for Sunrise but also for an extra onwards flight.

QR: TK:

 

[jase05]

Airlines like QR and TK also offer the opportunity to on-fly direct to numerous ports in Europe, without having to backtrack from (the very expensive charge-wise) LHR. Loyal Qantas Sunrise flyers not going to UK instantly lose those precious 5 hours gained, and pay not only the extra for Sunrise but also for an extra onwards flight.

This is very true and often gets lost in the mix but yes if you are going to the UK then Sunrise would definitely appeal to many but if I’m going to somewhere else in Europe then I still need to put up with the “Heathrow experience” and the costs that go with it to backtrack so in the end how much time do you save. The Sunrise flights will also have a very Premium (inflated) fare attached too which would put some people off. QF are still going to need to relly on EK to carry the bulk of their European travel for some time id think

 

[RichardMEL]

Re ADL-SIN (and beyond). the issue for QF is that while they have a "home ground advantage" of sorts, they do NOT have it at the other end (eg: SIN). The likes of SQ can make it work because they are flying to their hub and from there to anywhere and everywhere. Most folks from ADL can thus go one stop to LHR, Europe, India, Asia, etc using SQ. Now sure, on QF they can also go one stop to LHR (via PER) or to some locations in Asia/India via MEL/SYD - but that's more time consuming. And SQ probably has lower costs to make this work for them over QF. ie QF can only funnel people in SIN onto the SQ1/2 to LHR, and 3K to various asian places but it's not even close to what SQ can offer through there. There's also very little feed into ADL that wouldn't make more sense over MEL or SYD - which would basically be local SA traffic (the likes of Olympic Dam, Kangaroo Island etc - all tiny). Even MGB probably gets better options via MEL.

And of course, VA's tie in with SQ brings in a number of the local pax away from QF as a matter of course.

Plus of course QF is far more SYDcentric (and MEL to a lesser extent) so their solution is push pax through those two cities if you want to fly QF - and for ex-ADL the only real advantage time wise going via the east is to North America(inc HNL), NZ and the pacific. Otherwise the likes of SQ/CX/EK(when it returns) would definitely be more attractive in many respects. QR is an oddball since they go via MEL (but they win on product).

Anyway it does seem like QF could utilise the A321XLR or even A220 ex-ADL potentially in time as they may be more cost effective for them. Clearly the old QF81 767 either was uneconomic to run for them. I guess we'll see.

 

[jase05]

QR is an oddball since they go via MEL (but they win on product).

ADL has 2x QR daily’s
We have the direct ADL-DOH service and the ADL-MEL-DOH one

 

[RichardMEL]

Which is part the reason why QF ditched the BA partnership in lieu of EK. Fortunately, we can all still fly one stop to multiple Euro cites one stop on QF codes.

With 20:20 hindsight, it would have been great if QF had partnered with QR but at the time, they were only flying to MEL and no where else to be seen in Oz. A real shame. Plus, I doubt QF would have bothered flying their own metal to DOH like they did to DXB.

This is a very good point. EK was the global superstar while QR was still (relatively quietly) growing and seen as a much smaller operation (and the new airport was still years away so DOH was not as attractive for connections vs the megopolis of DXB). QR was also not a oneworld member - though they joined shortly after QF/EK (Oct 2013) - and of course we know Al Baker lost his mind at QF over the EK tie up (one presumes QF were well aware of QR's oneworld plans while they were dealing with EK) and thus the whole relationship between QF/QR became so fractured.

The QR of 2024 is a far different beast to that of even 2012/2013 imo - the relative rapid growth has been something else.

 

[RichardMEL]

ADL has 2x QR daily’s
We have the direct ADL-DOH service and the ADL-MEL-DOH one

oh! ok I'm corrected there. I thought the direct had been replaced by the MEL tag. My apologies.

Well that draws more traffic away from QF too via VA (and product/price) for one stops to europe/ME3/Africa

 

[drron]

Definitely a bit of a furphy to say QF flies to Antarctica when there are commercial flights from South Africa and South America which actually land in Antarctica.

The Greatest Day Trip Antarctica — White Desert

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white-desert.com

Flights to Antarctica - Fly & Cruise to Antarctica

A comprehensive guide to flights to Antarctica from Punta Arenas, Chile. Fly to Antarctica and cruise the Antarctic Peninsula!

www.antarctica21.com

 

[RSVKanga]

Yeah, sort of like my direct flight HBA-BNE is a flight to NSW . Or my flight SIN-LHR is a flight to .... any of the dozen or more countries we overfly.

You very well know what I mean . They're dedicated tourist flights to Antarctica and can't land there due to obvious reasons. If it was QR that operated sightseeing flights from DOH I'm sure you'd rock up to their defence and proudly state that DOH is a seven-continent airport and QR is a seven-continent airline

Funny, that's a line run by someone else here and equally fatuous. Neither say why it wouldn't it be profitable for Qantas to fly internationally from Adelaide when it is apparently profitable for other airlines who don't have the advantage of a 'home base'?

There are plenty of new and old posts on here made by dozens of users explaining why QF operating from ADL is unsustainable, uneconomical and unprofitable. I'm sure you've read all of those posts, again this 'QF don't fly international from ADL they bad boo hoo' is a line used online by many operatives and fans of QR based there and in Canberra. I'm not going to join those posters in writing an essay on why it's wrong because it will land on deaf ears, and on the off chance you haven't read an excellent explanation of why QF flying international out of ADL is simply wrong, here's the most recent and thorough explanation on the forum (by @RichardMEL)

Re ADL-SIN (and beyond). the issue for QF is that while they have a "home ground advantage" of sorts, they do NOT have it at the other end (eg: SIN). The likes of SQ can make it work because they are flying to their hub and from there to anywhere and everywhere. Most folks from ADL can thus go one stop to LHR, Europe, India, Asia, etc using SQ. Now sure, on QF they can also go one stop to LHR (via PER) or to some locations in Asia/India via MEL/SYD - but that's more time consuming. And SQ probably has lower costs to make this work for them over QF. ie QF can only funnel people in SIN onto the SQ1/2 to LHR, and 3K to various asian places but it's not even close to what SQ can offer through there. There's also very little feed into ADL that wouldn't make more sense over MEL or SYD - which would basically be local SA traffic (the likes of Olympic Dam, Kangaroo Island etc - all tiny). Even MGB probably gets better options via MEL.

And of course, VA's tie in with SQ brings in a number of the local pax away from QF as a matter of course.

Plus of course QF is far more SYDcentric (and MEL to a lesser extent) so their solution is push pax through those two cities if you want to fly QF - and for ex-ADL the only real advantage time wise going via the east is to North America(inc HNL), NZ and the pacific. Otherwise the likes of SQ/CX/EK(when it returns) would definitely be more attractive in many respects. QR is an oddball since they go via MEL (but they win on product).

Anyway it does seem like QF could utilise the A321XLR or even A220 ex-ADL potentially in time as they may be more cost effective for them. Clearly the old QF81 767 either was uneconomic to run for them. I guess we'll see.

Credits to @RichardMEL

You seem a bit obsessed with Qatar Airways. Happy to say I am too, as its the best business class in the sky and competitively priced.

Yes and yes. There's something that suggests that your role at QR is something more than just flyer/frequent flyer with them

I, and a number of others here have said we wouldn't fly direct Oz-LHR, even if it wasn't horrendously more expensive, just to save, what, 5 hours to London? Your important business types, sure, get there ASAP. But I look forward to a walk-around, nice lounge meal and more to break the journey. A saving of about 5 hours means nothing if you are going to Europe for a week or more. So why pay extra for the priveledge? Oh, and I dare say all those nice features of the Sunrise flights such as wellness zones and extra space will go the way of the Captain Cook Lounge, in time.

Airlines like QR and TK also offer the opportunity to on-fly direct to numerous ports in Europe, without having to backtrack from (the very expensive charge-wise) LHR. Loyal Qantas Sunrise flyers not going to UK instantly lose those precious 5 hours gained, and pay not only the extra for Sunrise but also for an extra onwards flight.

QR:
View attachment 373216

As if I am unaware QR and TK have an extensive network and frequency of services to Europe? Do you really think that? It's clear you despise the national carrier, but why only the excessive credit to QR (and to a less extent TK but in your other messages QR only), why no mention of EK, SQ, CX etc? Hot Tip: Maybe if you're trying to spruik an alternative to QF, make sure you mention all of QF's major competitors serving the relevant routes rather than just the one airline you like/fly/are potentially affiliated with, just to give people more insight, rather than more vindication that you have potential affiliations with QR.

Thing is I love Australia, and its national carrier. Before you play the 'private company card', I remind you that BA, AC, LH, JAL, ANA, CX, AA, DL, UA and pretty much half of major world national carriers are in private hands yet still resonate with their country and population I also have zero affiliations with Qantas as of when this message was written. I'm not sure if you are still upset about an Australian Government decision regarding QR made (in the national interest) last year, but you are on here always offering a negative statement, argument or exaggerated opinion in response to any positive/new message or post on this forum regarding QF, while also enhancing and promoting the image of QR with excessive use of definitive and positive language regarding them, so for the sake of transparency what are your affiliations, if any, with QR?

 

[RooFlyer]

If it was QR that operated sightseeing flights from DOH I'm sure you'd rock up to their defence and proudly state that DOH is a seven-continent airport and QR is a seven-continent airline

No, actually I couldn't care less. They fly me where I want to go, in comfort, for a reasonable price. I'm not obsessed with the number of continents any airline flies to.

again this 'QF don't fly international from ADL they bad boo hoo' is a line used online by many operatives and fans of QR based there and in Canberra.

There's something that suggests that your role at QR is something more than just flyer/frequent flyer with them

Ah! That conspiracy theory rears its head again.

Yes, guv, its a fair cop, I'm really Ali Al Baker, moonlighting and trying to bring down Qantas, as always.

Good on @RichardMEL for making the case that you couldn't. And with sincere respect to RM, his argument doesn't really answer why QF can't fly int'l out of ADL - mostly why it prefers to fly out of SYD/MEL, which we know.

And @RichardMEL , I'd recommend trying the QR ADL-MEL-DOH tag flight. The timing when I took it landed us in MEL at about 11:30, just in time for a nice lunch in the Qantas Flounge before sauntering back on board at about 2pm .

It's clear you despise the national carrier, but why only the excessive credit to QR (and to a less extent TK but in your other messages QR only), why no mention of EK, SQ, CX etc?

Because QR and TK are my favourite business class airlines and I fly them regularly. I can say things with confidence about them. And they both kick the carp out of Qantas' business class, which I also fly when QR, TK aren't available (I think the crew smoke me when they see my name on my BP though ).

I fly SQ First when I can but haven't flown CX or EK or AA or UA or BA for many years, so have no basis to measure them against anyone else. I did fly EY in J last year (an Aeroplan redemption) - a bit meh. I make comparisons based on recent and personal experience. Can you say the same thing? Why not try QR and TK for yourself and see what the fuss is about?

Oh and why when I see the phrase 'national carrier' do I think of covid?

 

[RichardMEL]

Ah! That conspiracy theory rears its head again.

Join the club. I wondrr if anyone out there still seriously thinks I work for QF Marketing

Good on @RichardMEL for making the case that you couldn't. And with sincere respect to RM, his argument doesn't really answer why QF can't fly int'l out of ADL - mostly why it prefers to fly out of SYD/MEL, which we know.

Well I gave a thought that clearly QF see this as too costly with the caveat that with current equipment and the lack of O&D pax to support larger aircraft with limited connectivity ex SIN bar 3K into asia and the QF1/2 (whereas BNE clearly does). Now, I contend that the 321XLR and even possibly the 220, open up potentially opportunities that could be more cost effective to offer. Will it happen? No idea. I do feel using the alloance E190 for DRW-SIN is a signal that these are possibilities if QF feels they can run it viably.

And @RichardMEL , I'd recommend trying the QR ADL-MEL-DOH tag flight. The timing when I took it landed us in MEL at about 11:30, just in time for a nice lunch in the Qantas Flounge before sauntering back on board at about 2pm .

I'd need to fly to ADL first lol

I've actually never flown QR. On the list, but had previously used the likes of EK, SQ, MH and AY to europe for example. Certainly do want to try the much vaunted QSuites to decide for myself.

 

[RSVKanga]

Oh and why when I see the phrase 'national carrier' do I think of covid?

Don’t you even dare try to play this classic card that the other QR fanboys and operatives have long used. You know full well that QF’s customer base (the Australian travelling public) were legally banned from leaving Australia, and if they did fly international regularly during that time they would have gone bust because planes would have been completely empty. QR could do it because in 2021 the world was ahead of Australia and they deployed their planes to profitable destinations elsewhere to offset the major loss they were bleeding to fly into Australia during the draconian pandemic restrictions in this country.

Yes, guv, its a fair cop, I'm really Ali Al Baker,

moonlighting and trying to bring down Qantas, as always.

All this spin and distractions and jokes and you still haven’t answered the question. I’ve given my answer; I have zero affiliations with QF. So what are your affiliations, if any, with QR?

Why not try QR and TK for yourself and see what the fuss is about?

Yep, and I have flown QR before. Great experience all the way from check-in to baggage claim. This is not a matter of personal experience; I just like our country more than you and support the success and government protection of big Australian business on the world stage in an increasingly competitive environment . Assuming you’re just a customer and not anyone higher, consistently excellent experiences on QR shouldn’t program you to shill online for them alongside constantly offering a negative, pessimistic and overexaggerated view on any positive post about QF here.