Qantas boosts international capacity, wet lease Finnair aircraft

[milehighclub]

Wonder if Qantas are just going to send QPK and QPL wherever suits best operationally rather than just to Singapore and Honolulu.

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.

 

[vhojm]

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

 

[Saab34]

What’s the Cabin Crew training? Computer stuff or do they need to complete a flight under the direction of a trainer?

 

[milehighclub]

That’s all good and well and true but it didn’t stop them from sending the plane to Manila randomly for a week

It’s not random. It’s also planned for MNL as part of the rotation but not daily.

 

[milehighclub]

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.

 

[Poojou]

Does Finnair for Qantas has WiFi on board?

Nope - I was on QF292 earlier this month.

Really liked the weird business class seat tho - prefer it to a normal seat as can sit cross legged like "on a sofa" - and tbh the bed mode, also great.

 

[cpatters]

Do we know when QPK will enter service?

 

[moa999]

VH-QPK entered service tonight operating QF103 SYD-HNL.

 

[FRONT ROWER]

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).

 

[markis10]

The weekly Friday QF19/QF20 rotation operated by the AY wetlease A330

It’s not a wetlease aircraft as that would have an ‘operated by Finnair notation”

 

[FRONT ROWER]

It’s not a wetlease aircraft as that would have an ‘operated by Finnair notation”

Apologies, dry lease.

 

[Jleno]

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?

 

[serfty]

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.

 

[SYD]

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…

 

[serfty]

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.

More on this - Qantas charge NB and others with no status for seat selection from row 51 forward. From $60 for a "Forward" seat to $105 for extra leg room.

No wonder it looked 'empty'. (Note E/F tells me there are actually no seats selected in rows 35 or 36. 34J is not selected either - the blocks are for this NB's selection. Rows 31-34 are not shown to the Bronze member.

 

[FRONT ROWER]

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).

View attachment 485625

Qantas changed these Friday QF19 flights back to remove PE, while keeping the AY-config A330s a few days after this post. They then to have been changed back to a 332 about a week ago.

Unclear what Qantas' plans are for one of these AY-config A330s when QF81 becomes an A380 on on Fridays and Sundays from 29 March.

 

[serfty]

Well it's down to one right now?

But no, conceptually, both 291 (SYD-SIN) and 295 (SYD-BKK) are in the schedule through end of NW25/26 (end of March 2026) at which point both aircraft are due to revert to a dry lease operated by QF. Even if the wet lease is reduced to one aircraft, word on the street is that one will revert to a dry lease operated by QF earlier. In fact, QF are trying to increase the number of Finnair A330 they take on the dry lease.

Some of the reporting on it seems to be Finnair playing hardball with the pilots union rather than definitive action in September. Suspect some of the reporting is jumping the gun.

In line with the quoted post, I cannot locate any QF291/QF292 scheduled after March 28th; confirmation the days for these services are indeed numbered.