Melburnian1
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2013
- Posts
- 25,486
While mainland Chinese airlines have expanded hugely into Australia, opening new routes aplenty and increasing flight frequencies in other cases, some routes have remained stagnant for a while.
MEL to MNL is one, with PR having been the only nonstop carrier and the frequency having been at just three flights a week each way for a few years. It has upgraded aircraft to refitted A333s with very good lie flat seats in J, four across, a new W class and eight - not previous nine - across in Y, with IFE standard.
However from next week frequency on this route will rise to 5x week although the two new flights will arrive and depart MEL in the small hours, designed to maximise northbound connections to LHR where PR has daily B773ER flights and tends to offer cheap fares for a legacy airline.
In August 5J will shake up this market with 3x week A333s, although the seating is all Y and very confined. Not recommended for 190cm tall ladies or gents.
Further north, QF is moving to SYD - MNL dailies before the end of 2018. At present it's 6x week but not so long ago was only 5x. Many businessmen and women travel there as it's not just an expanding economy but home, as we all know, to many call centres and other business outsourcing (whatever the latter means.)
PR will also at some stage replace its grotty and non-IFE A343s on the BNE - MNL route with new A321neos but I gather CASA still may have to give these regulatory approval. We may see these also flying to MEL and SYD with latter maybe to become 2x daily: at present this route for PR is a split schedule with the traditional overnight flight south and mid morning flight back four days a week, but an 1100 ex MNL and an 0600 earlybird out of SYD 3x week. These are also the redone A333s at present.
QF enjoys very good load factors on the SYD - MNL route but as with some other SEAsian routes I can't see it offering a MEL - MNL nonstop. A few years ago, one SYD - MNL flight deviated via BNE (different day each direction) but that ceased and never resumed.
While the Filipino migrant community at 300000 doesn't match the Indian one, both are fast growing so that must explain some of the rise in flight frequencies. Interesting that Manila is much better served nonstop from Oz than is New Delhi or elsewhere in India, as only AI operate nonstops to New Delhi. Sri Lankan Airlines (UL) has a daily MEL - CMB that's doing well and must carry some connectors to India, but SQ historically grabbed much of this traffic.
PR is indicating on some map that it wants to resume flying to PER. When not so long ago it ran MNL - DRW - PER, that was dropped after just three months. It also wants to fly to India.
High season to visit the beaches up there is roughly Jan to early May with probably best weather in late Jan- all of Feb, and March and April hotter. Don't visit in months like August: too humid for my liking.
So, sleepy no more.
MEL to MNL is one, with PR having been the only nonstop carrier and the frequency having been at just three flights a week each way for a few years. It has upgraded aircraft to refitted A333s with very good lie flat seats in J, four across, a new W class and eight - not previous nine - across in Y, with IFE standard.
However from next week frequency on this route will rise to 5x week although the two new flights will arrive and depart MEL in the small hours, designed to maximise northbound connections to LHR where PR has daily B773ER flights and tends to offer cheap fares for a legacy airline.
In August 5J will shake up this market with 3x week A333s, although the seating is all Y and very confined. Not recommended for 190cm tall ladies or gents.
Further north, QF is moving to SYD - MNL dailies before the end of 2018. At present it's 6x week but not so long ago was only 5x. Many businessmen and women travel there as it's not just an expanding economy but home, as we all know, to many call centres and other business outsourcing (whatever the latter means.)
PR will also at some stage replace its grotty and non-IFE A343s on the BNE - MNL route with new A321neos but I gather CASA still may have to give these regulatory approval. We may see these also flying to MEL and SYD with latter maybe to become 2x daily: at present this route for PR is a split schedule with the traditional overnight flight south and mid morning flight back four days a week, but an 1100 ex MNL and an 0600 earlybird out of SYD 3x week. These are also the redone A333s at present.
QF enjoys very good load factors on the SYD - MNL route but as with some other SEAsian routes I can't see it offering a MEL - MNL nonstop. A few years ago, one SYD - MNL flight deviated via BNE (different day each direction) but that ceased and never resumed.
While the Filipino migrant community at 300000 doesn't match the Indian one, both are fast growing so that must explain some of the rise in flight frequencies. Interesting that Manila is much better served nonstop from Oz than is New Delhi or elsewhere in India, as only AI operate nonstops to New Delhi. Sri Lankan Airlines (UL) has a daily MEL - CMB that's doing well and must carry some connectors to India, but SQ historically grabbed much of this traffic.
PR is indicating on some map that it wants to resume flying to PER. When not so long ago it ran MNL - DRW - PER, that was dropped after just three months. It also wants to fly to India.
High season to visit the beaches up there is roughly Jan to early May with probably best weather in late Jan- all of Feb, and March and April hotter. Don't visit in months like August: too humid for my liking.
So, sleepy no more.
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