Qantas boosts international capacity, wet lease Finnair aircraft

Unlike the pilots, the cabin crew have to be trained and endorsed on it so it can’t just go anywhere as there is a separate pool of crew who have done the training.
That’s all good and well and true but it didn’t stop them from sending the plane to Manila randomly for a week
 
What’s the Cabin Crew training? Computer stuff or do they need to complete a flight under the direction of a trainer?
 
What’s the Cabin Crew training? Computer stuff or do they need to complete a flight under the direction of a trainer?
Cabin crew have to go in to do emergency training as some of the equipment is different. It’s only half a day but because of this, it’s an endorsement. This is why the aircraft will stick to certain routes because the crew need to be endorsed. That list might change but it wouldn't happen overnight. Now that being said whilst any 330 route can’t become a AY one randomly, the reverse is true, so an AY flight can become normal QF metal.
 
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Suspect ultimately they'll want to monetize the W (PE) seats..
The weekly Friday QF19/QF20 rotation operated by the AY drylease A330 seems to have recently been turned into to a three-class configuration for flights from April 3. No W (PE) fares seem to be available yet. Previously Platinum could select the last row of PE (no more and existing seat selections booted out).

I assume they get the aircraft from the second daily SYD/SIN flight which becomes an A380 on Fridays. (That flight also becomes an A380 on Sundays, not obvious to me where that AY drylease A330 goes on Sundays).

Screenshot 2025-12-17 at 9.30.11 AM.png
 
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I took QF292 SIN-SYD last Sunday. I was one of the last to board in economy. The were large rows of empty seats in the middle cabin but then the back cabin was completely full. I looked at the seating availability pre-flight earlier in the day and it showed a full flight.

Anyone know why they chose to jam pack everyone into the back cabin but not the middle cabin or allowed people to select seats in the middle cabin?
 
I took QF292 SIN-SYD last Sunday. I was one of the last to board in economy. The were large rows of empty seats in the middle cabin but then the back cabin was completely full. I looked at the seating availability pre-flight earlier in the day and it showed a full flight.

Anyone know why they chose to jam pack everyone into the back cabin but not the middle cabin or allowed people to select seats in the middle cabin?
The middle seats in Rows 32 to 36 are designated extra leg room and now can cost significantly more to select.

I suspect many of those were vacant.
 
The middle seats in Rows 32 to 36 are designated extra leg room and now can cost significantly more to select.

I suspect many of those were vacant.
We have an upcoming HNL-SYD flight and those seats are free as WP but torn. Much prefer a pair on the side and hoping to snag Row 31 at T-80 but if that fails, there’s several inches of extra legroom in the middle rows…
 

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