New QF Domestic Routes (MEL-CFS, SYD-HTI)

[Cool Cat Phil]

Now I don't like to denigrate my home town but I have never understood what people see in the Big Banana; each to his own. As it happens I live almost next door to it.

There are other "attractions" that make it a nice place to live or visit.

I'm doing a bit of FIFO to PNG at present but if I'm in town when you visit I'd be happy to catch up.

JV

Yeh, I bet all the tourist buses must rock up day in, day out so that tourists take happy snaps outside the iconic attraction.

I think as a nation we are Renown for our " big " attractions, like the Big Pineapple, The Big Marino, The Big Prawn etc.

Jokes aside , I know Coffs Harbour has many other attractions, particularly some great beaches.

With the launch of this new route I can't wait to check out Coffs Harbour myself sometime soon!

 

[drross]

Re: QF to offer PQQ-BNE Flights

340km W off Brisbane and smack bang in the middle of the CSG mining.

currently 42 flights a week briz to miles direct. All FIFO qantas/ alliance with virgin to start soon

 

[Boris spatsky]

You can summarize the SYD-HTA and SYD-HVB as locals and tourists alike rejecting JQ in favour of VA, plus copying of some VA routes where VA either has no competition or only JQ as competition.

Interesting that QF link choose to fly the B717s SYD-HVB will these be the presumably single class 'sardine can' B717s without a business cabin or the two class with an empty J class cabin?

QF media release stated that they will use the 2 class 717s with ipad IFE on the route.

 

[samh004]

QF media release stated that they will use the 2 class 717s with ipad IFE on the route.

They're putting them on a lot of routes, hopefully they'll consider converting the whole fleet of 717's

 

[Jacques Vert]

Yes, then I could visit!

Why fly direct when you can connect?

 

[samh004]

Why fly direct when you can connect?

Because connecting costs too much right now!

 

[Mattg]

It seems the 717s are probably going to be utilised less on weekends considering the majority of their flying is in and out of CBR, so good to see QF thinking outside the box and making something from their downtime, i.e. Sydney - Hervey Bay flights. It's a for a similar reason that we got PER-AKL on weekends a while back. Maybe there is some potential for some more new routes... MEL-OOL on weekends or off-peak times perhaps?

 

[markis10]

QF media release stated that they will use the 2 class 717s with ipad IFE on the route.

They're putting them on a lot of routes, hopefully they'll consider converting the whole fleet of 717's

The media release has no mention of IFE or classes, just 115 seats which are of course the three birds with no J or streaming.NXE, O and Q.

 

[maninblack]

MEL-OOL on weekends or off-peak times perhaps?

Would be like a return to 1969 and flying on TAA again. They should go for the retro T-jet paint scheme and all. Actually I think next year will be the 50th anniversary of DC9 jet service for TAA. QF could celebrate how they are still providing customers with the same aircraft now as they were way back then! They should also reintroduce boarding through the tail at OOL.

 

[Boris spatsky]

The media release has no mention of IFE or classes, just 115 seats which are of course the three birds with no J or streaming.NXE, O and Q.

Sorry markis, you must be looking at a different media release to me. QF industry release says IFE, 2 class.

 

[markis10]

Sorry markis, you must be looking at a different media release to me. QF industry release says IFE, 2 class.

This is the table on their newsroom which shows it being single class:

http://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-announces-new-domestic-routes

Flights are loaded in the GDS Y only.

 

[mannej]

This is the table on their newsroom which shows it being single class:

http://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-announces-new-domestic-routes

Flights are loaded in the GDS Y only.

No it doesn't, 110 seats is 2-class...

 

[markis10]

No it doesn't, 110 seats is 2-class...

My bad, I was thinking and seeing 115 seats for some reason. Interestingly they don't have the flights in Altea so no seat selection, grabbing a J seat might be hard.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Of course we shouldn't forget MRZ that was announced a little while ago.

 

[eastwest101]

My bad, I was thinking and seeing 115 seats for some reason. Interestingly they don't have the flights in Altea so no seat selection, grabbing a J seat might be hard.

For SYD-HVB - if we beleive the QF press release and they are actually using the 110 seat two classs B717's for the Sat & Sun direct QF service and if we believe the QF booking engine that J class is unable to be purchased for these flights then the QF B717 flights are actually a 98 seat Y only flight (I am assuming they will not cater for nor allow pax to sit in J class seats) - so they will be flying around 6 empty J seats that they wont be allowed to sell.

This seems a little different to VA whom seem to be offering a direct E190 service on weekdays (and are also not selling J class) so VA seem to be offering a 92 seat Y only service on weekdays and are flying around 6 empty J class seats. On the weekends it seems to be a different story again with the VA Sat and Sun direct SYD-HVB sometimes operated by a 73H - and again - no J class seats allowed to be sold - so in reality a 168 all Y service with 8 empty J class seats.

Maybe someone could clue in to the VA and QF guys that aircraft utilization means seats being available for sale to the customers, not flying empty J class cabins around the countryside.

The pricing is interesting as well - I noticed that the QF Y class fares seem to be undercutting VA Y fares a bit (even connection services via BNE, may be explained by services just launched so VA already had fare bookings wheras QF does not have many yet) - but it is interesting to speculate that instead of QF having metal/capacity sitting around on the weekends doing nothing, they are now starting to deploy that capacity back into the market, and possibly going down the traditional path that we see in airline markets where the larger incumbent may try defending market share/predatory pricing on parts of VA that may be making money, or predatory pricing to decrease yield on VA's SYD-HVB weekend traffic. If it was a traditional "flood the market" response, we might have seen QF launch daily services SYD-HVB but they either don't have the equipment to do it or they think it would disrupt the QFlink Dash 8 yields too much? Also interesting to note that JQ abandonned SYD-HVB services mid-2009ish so maybe anyone whom flies to HVB just loses money, regardless of airline and equipment?

Whatever the case - good for getting cheap flights and SC for us and possibly more bad news for VA and QF shareholders!

 

[Aussie_flyer]

As a platinum booking economy class I am able to select Row 3 on this syd-hvb service. which is a business class seat. row 1 and 2 are blocked out. so no its not a 98 seat y only flight. it is a 110 seat y only flight with elites sitting up the front but getting y service

 

[samh004]

As a platinum booking economy class I am able to select Row 3 on this syd-hvb service. which is a business class seat. row 1 and 2 are blocked out. so no its not a 98 seat y only flight. it is a 110 seat y only flight with elites sitting up the front but getting y service

I'm tempted to book for the route and experience.

 

[eastwest101]

As a platinum booking economy class I am able to select Row 3 on this syd-hvb service. which is a business class seat. row 1 and 2 are blocked out. so no its not a 98 seat y only flight. it is a 110 seat y only flight with elites sitting up the front but getting y service

Oh OK thats interesting to know, so as a QF Plat flying Y you can select Row 3 on a two-class B717 service SYD-HVB. I assume the seatmap you saw really was the 2-class B717 but it does seem strange to offer QF Plats Row 3 but not Row 1 or 2 on the 2-class B717s. As you say - Y food and catering would be likely. Let us know when you fly and if that seat selection "sticks".

 

[JessicaTam]

MEL-CFS starts on the same day as I head to the HKG lounge run. Bugger.

 

[JessicaTam]

Oh OK thats interesting to know, so as a QF Plat flying Y you can select Row 3 on a two-class B717 service SYD-HVB. I assume the seatmap you saw really was the 2-class B717 but it does seem strange to offer QF Plats Row 3 but not Row 1 or 2 on the 2-class B717s. As you say - Y food and catering would be likely. Let us know when you fly and if that seat selection "sticks".

Row 1 and 2 may be available after T-80 to give all the P1s who will be flying to HVB a shot at the front rows.