A330 to 737 Swap Syd-Per

[texanaust]

How often does Qantas swap the A330 for a 737 on Syd-Per? I was interested in booking J on QF 581 for late June, but looking at the recent Flightaware history, it looks like the flight was subbed for a 737 approximately three out of seven days. Are there certain flights that are guaranteed the A330?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Nothing is ever guaranteed unfortunately, it's a risk you just have to accept. Even the first leg of QF9 MEL-PER (and conversely last leg of QF10 PER-MEL) are not always on the 787.

 

[texanaust]

Nothing is ever guaranteed unfortunately, it's a risk you just have to accept. Even the first leg of QF9 MEL-PER (and conversely last leg of QF10 PER-MEL) are not always on the 787.

If I was paying J from LHR-MEL using QF10, I'd be really unimpressed to get a 737 for the last leg. It would be better to go via SIN and be guaranteed a lay-flat seat. Or use a different airline...

It looks like some of the other SYD-PER flights are also subbed regularly, so really a gamble on any flight. I guess I'll avoid the red-eye return then and book a day time flight.

 

[cove]

I would be unhappy to book the A330 and get a 737 to Sydney or back to Perth.

 

[snabbu]

I've done this by mistake a few tmes over the years when one of the daily flights was in fact scheduled a 73H, very disappointing.

 

[Alyopsis]

I was awake at 3.30 this morning and sitting by the pool wasting time online, looking at the flight radar amongst other things.

Lots of planes over the Bight, started clicking on them, mostly west - east red eyes but what was interesting was that they were all 737s. Didn’t appear to be a single 330 amongst them.

 

[mannej]

I was awake at 3.30 this morning and sitting by the pool wasting time online, looking at the flight radar amongst other things.

Lots of planes over the Bight, started clicking on them, mostly west - east red eyes but what was interesting was that they were all 737s. Didn’t appear to be a single 330 amongst them.

Not unusual over the weekend

 

[Must...Fly!]

Saturday night is the quietest. On a Sunday-Friday it is a different story.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

We all know that QF has moved a number of their 330s from trans Australia, to fly Au - NZ, and if they don't bring in any replacement larger planes to do the trans Australia flights, of course they will use the 737s.
Yes, I do love the 330s, but seeing that both major airlines now keep subbing, instead of paying for J, if you have to fly, is to phone up either of their telephone sales and ask for a comfort seat request/in VA's its an extra seat request.
Lounges in MEL and PER are good for both QF and VA on their domestic flights, but if you just have to fly between PER and the east coast, seeing that so many flights are 737s, might as well buy the seat next to you and yours, on the 737 and have a bit of comfort.
Cheaper than going J on the (probable 330, but getting a 737).

---

Now, just imagine if QF gets more 787s and puts them into purely Aust domestic flights, even 1/2 for the red eye flights.
Imagine IF (if being the operative word), esp if its 2/4/2 in Y, and lie flat in J, with a premY cabin, IF being the operative word.

 

[RichardMEL]

Now, just imagine if QF gets more 787s and puts them into purely Aust domestic flights, even 1/2 for the red eye flights.
Imagine IF (if being the operative word), esp if its 2/4/2 in Y, and lie flat in J, with a premY cabin, IF being the operative word.

no. Waste of a premium aircraft shell for relatively short haul when they are designed to take on 747 roles and longer routes.

If anything more 787's (and remember QF did order an additional 6) would replace 330's on asian routes and there is potential for those 330's to be redeployed on some domestic routes, as well as T-T and to other Asian spots (eg: SYD-DPS).

The odd 787 still shows up on MEL-BNE-MEL rotations from time to time, along with QF9/10 tags, but that's about it for now.

Meanwhile QF/VA will deploy 737 equipment on transcon to increase frequency because many value that, and price, over specific aircraft amenity(specially in Y).

imo

 

[woodborer]

On the weekends they are often scheduled as 737s from the get go. No subbing, just scheduled that way from the start.

While weekdays were for a time all A330s, they timetables are dotted with 737s. I usually find as long as I check while booking, I'll get the aircraft I expect. But if you just assume it's and A330, you can find out otherwise

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no. Waste of a premium aircraft shell for relatively short haul when they are designed to take on 747 roles and longer routes.

If anything more 787's (and remember QF did order an additional 6) would replace 330's on asian routes and there is potential for those 330's to be redeployed on some domestic routes, as well as T-T and to other Asian spots (eg: SYD-DPS).

The odd 787 still shows up on MEL-BNE-MEL rotations from time to time, along with QF9/10 tags, but that's about it for now.

There is a 787 doing a BNE-PER-BNE rotation on Fridays starting late March/Early April.

 

[RichardMEL]

As mentioned earlier Saturdays and some earlier Sunday flights have usually been 73H, plus more from BNE both for capacity reasons and due to redeployment of 330's to other roues as we know.

A few weeks back I had a friend flying VA on a 2030 MEL-PER Friday night, which I would have thought to be pretty much a peak service, and it was a 73H too. I was gobsmacked. It's not just QF in other words.

It may well reflect a general lowering of demand specially since the mining boom ended, along with the redeployment of 330's to other routes, but I think one leads to the other.. if demand to/from PER has softened for economic reasons, specially in the Business end(ie: FIFO workers and execs) then the reasons to put the "good" equipment on all flgiths are far less than they were, specially als if you can only sell half the seats on a 332 vs 90% on a 73H.

As pax it's not something we like but it's most likely an economic reality.

And it's not just here. I've had a case in the US where UA used to fly a widebody (789) on IAH-LAX to feed their South Pacific flying and now that same flight timing is a 737 MAX 9 which I'm not exacly thrilled about taking in a few weeks but that's the way it goes.

 

[AIRwin]

There is a 787 doing a BNE-PER-BNE rotation on Fridays starting late March/Early April.

QF589 departing BNE 08:20 (but ironically not the aptly numbered QF789 departing 14:10)
QF654 departing PER 14:45

 

[jase05]

no. Waste of a premium aircraft shell for relatively short haul when they are designed to take on 747 roles and longer routes.

If anything more 787's (and remember QF did order an additional 6) would replace 330's on asian routes and there is potential for those 330's to be redeployed on some domestic routes, as well as T-T and to other Asian spots (eg: SYD-DPS).

The odd 787 still shows up on MEL-BNE-MEL rotations from time to time, along with QF9/10 tags, but that's about it for now.

Meanwhile QF/VA will deploy 737 equipment on transcon to increase frequency because many value that, and price, over specific aircraft amenity(specially in Y).

imo

Yes, got the 787 BNE-MEL a couple of Sunday’s ago. An added bonus of selecting PE seats free of charge which made it an excellent short flight

 

[RichardMEL]

QF589 departing BNE 08:20 (but ironically not the aptly numbered QF789 departing 14:10)
QF654 departing PER 14:45

sounds like utilisation flying between the arrival from LAX and the evening departure?

 

[Must...Fly!]

specially als if you can only sell half the seats on a 332 vs 90% on a 73H.

As pax it's not something we like but it's most likely an economic reality.

Yep. Yield, average fare, bums on seats...all up on a smaller plane! To the unfortunate detriment of the flying public, but it's a competitive environment and them's the breaks.

I wonder if VA would, if they had the aircraft and crew, run more frequencies on narrow body aircraft transcon instead of maintaining a 3x daily BNE and 4-6 daily SYD/MEL with the reduced number of A330s flying domestically (particularly curious if direct flights to China ever come up)

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I wonder if VA would, if they had the aircraft and crew, run more frequencies on narrow body aircraft transcon instead of maintaining a 3x daily BNE and 4-6 daily SYD/MEL with the reduced number of A330s flying domestically (particularly curious if direct flights to China ever come up)

Shhh, don't give them the idea.
Right now at the least, we have to gamble if the flight "we" (figuratively speaking), are on will be a VAd 330, OR higher odds, a 737.
If VA started flying the 330 to China, and no replacements are brought into Aust for VA, of course they will fly purely 737s on their domestic routes.
I have flown the 330 PER - SYD before the suites came in, ie, on the 2x2x2 a long time ago now, nice... have tried VAd 737 in J too, not complaining, but 737 on trans Au in non prem cabin, scary though.
QF 737 BNE - ADL squashed in Y is bad.
VA 737 PER - ADL last flight of that one evening, long ago before X(Y), oooh, scary bad.
Can see why the airlines love the 737 though, cheaper to run, faster turn around, more flexible...