Qantas does Vegas direct

[jase05]

Me either, Vietnam is now one of the most affordable places to travel and rising in popularity with Aussies but if you want to get there on a full service one world airline you need to go via HKG with CX.

Getting off topic but I stink think Vietnam is very budget orientated and I just can’t see too many wanting to pay what QF would charge.
We fly with VN and love their service and flights are comfortable

 

[Aeryn]

MH via KUL?

Possibly but yet to be offered that routing in any CR searches, but given the choice I would still take CX over MH. Whenever i look i see CX or JQ routing. Im not interested in JQ they don't have a proper J cabin.

Getting off topic but I stink think Vietnam is very budget orientated and I just can’t see too many wanting to pay what QF would charge.

Self fulfilling prophecy, only offer LCC direct from Aus and you attract that crowd. Vietnam is on my list but I have no interest in slumming it, so have to factor in an extra day or 2 to go via HKG.

 

[jase05]

Self fulfilling prophecy, only offer LCC direct from Aus and you attract that crowd. Vietnam is on my list but I have no interest in slumming it, so have to factor in an extra day or 2 to go via HKG.

Going again later this year and QF J awards MEL-CGK which are plentiful and then CGK-SGN-MEL paid J fare on VN is often around $1100. Have used the VN fares ex CGK several times now and good flights at a good price

 

[RooFlyer]

Seasonal services between Sydney and Las Vegas announced and to commence 29th Dec for approx 3 months

https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/m...er-direct-flights-from-australia-to-las-vegas

Well, I guess I'm eating my hat

Well done on making that post. Where are the others? 'Lock the thread' ... 'fake news'. Delicious.

 

[levelnine]

More than the zero NRL fans arriving in January

It’s not a single event. Literally what the PR says.

It's definitely the combination of the 300 people flying to Las Vegas for NYE, the 470 attendees to CES and 20,000 NRL fans.

Which is the actual factor? We'll never know lol

 

[justinbrett]

It's definitely the combination of the 300 people flying to Las Vegas for NYE, the 470 attendees to CES and 20,000 NRL fans.

Which is the actual factor? We'll never know lol

20,000 fans in the last week of Feb / early March. Most of which will fly on other routes or airlines like they have the last three years. They’ll likely have to add extra flights for the week of the game as at most 2-3 flights worth will be accommodated with this schedule.

Again, they don’t launch seasonal routes for a single weekend. For whatever reason QF believes there is sustained demand for the proposed duration. I am surprised they think this but I know the NRL isn’t going to be the thing that makes it viable.

 

[dajop]

It’s combination of a variety of events including CES, New Years Eve, the peak Australian Christmas holiday period, the US winter escape period, and of course ending with the NRL.

Almost certainly these two factors moreso than anything else. I would have thought it's not that hard to understand?

A seasonal flight at a time of the year when US carriers have multiple seasonal flights to Australia, it's not hard to comprehend QF doing one as well.

 

[ANstar]

So what gets cut back to offer this - They mentioned that it will be a move around f exisitng US capacity so no new net seats just moving from either LAX or sFO/DFW etc.

 

[levelnine]

20,000 fans in the last week of Feb / early March. Most of which will fly on other routes or airlines like they have the last three years. They’ll likely have to add extra flights for the week of the game as at most 2-3 flights worth will be accommodated with this schedule.

Again, they don’t launch seasonal routes for a single weekend. For whatever reason QF believes there is sustained demand for the proposed duration. I am surprised they think this but I know the NRL isn’t going to be the thing that makes it viable.

Your factors that supposedly explain the business decision to launch a new route:
NYE: 300 visitors
CES: 470 visitors (up 36 visitors from the previous year)
Australian Christmas holiday period/US winter escape period: Australian visitors to the US in January are down double digit percentages YOY

Mine:
NRL: 20,000 visitors (up 6,000 visitors from the previous year)

You are right about one thing though: 'they don’t launch seasonal routes for a single weekend.' Exactly. They fly more than just the weekend of the NRL match because tourists stay longer than that — many will decide to make it part of a longer holiday — and to help justify the investment in the route (relocating/hiring ground staff, caterers, etc).

Just like they do with other seasonal routes. As I've said, the very start and end of Qantas' other seasonal routes are often very lightly loaded.

 

[justinbrett]

Your factors that supposedly explain the business decision to launch a new route:
NYE: 300 visitors
CES: 470 visitors (up 36 visitors from the previous year)
Australian Christmas holiday period/US winter escape period: Australian visitors to the US in January are down double digit percentages YOY

Mine:
NRL: 20,000 visitors (up 6,000 visitors from the previous year)

You are right about one thing though: 'they don’t launch seasonal routes for a single weekend.' Exactly. They fly more than just the weekend of the NRL match because tourists stay longer than that — many will decide to make it part of a longer holiday — and to help justify the investment in the route (relocating/hiring ground staff, caterers, etc).

Just like they do with other seasonal routes. As I've said, the very start and end of Qantas' other seasonal routes are often very lightly loaded.

Sure people go for longer periods but beyond a week probably not staying in Vegas - so flights into LAX would make more sense. You've also got people in BNE/MEL which would be trading a daily one stop service via LAX for a 3-weekly service via SYD (probably for a higher fare). Not much of an advantage.

Likely Vegas is giving them a good financial deal to launch the route and it will be gone as soon as that money dries up. Comparing this to FCO is ridiculous.

 

[levelnine]

Sure people go for longer periods but beyond a week probably not staying in Vegas - so flights into LAX would make more sense. You've also got people in BNE/MEL which would be trading a daily one stop service via LAX for a 3-weekly service via SYD (probably for a higher fare). Not much of an advantage.

Likely Vegas is giving them a good financial deal to launch the route and it will be gone as soon as that money dries up. Comparing this to FCO is ridiculous.

Qantas will be getting some airport fee waivers and that's about it.

The route depends on the NRL. If they move to another city, the route will stop. No amount of money from Vegas will keep it going.

To suggest otherwise is ridiculous.

 

[justinbrett]

Qantas will be getting some airport fee waivers and that's about it.

The route depends on the NRL. If they move to another city, the route will stop. No amount of money from Vegas will keep it going.

To suggest otherwise is ridiculous.

No, I don't think any one thing will keep it going, especially a single weekend NRL game.

Best case for QF is it creates demand for general tourism on both sides, but I am sceptical, and have been for the life of this thread.

 

[Quickstatus]

I dont think AU-US seasonal winter traffic have much interest going to Vegas IMO
AU-DEN or AU-SLC would be a game changer for those cashed up travellers -given that the airlines that are dominant in those airports DL, UA, do not fly non stop there (though they have excellent connecting flights via LAX, SFO, and maybe IAH.
QF does not even need to operate both at the same time, just alternate between AU-SLC and AU-DEN

Also Vegas is not the hotspot for value tourists it used to be with declining visitors, exorbitant hotel charges. The city is moving upmarket. General "value for money" tourists will find it not so value for money.

 

[levelnine]

No, I don't think any one thing will keep it going, especially a single weekend NRL game.

Best case for QF is it creates demand for general tourism on both sides, but I am sceptical, and have been for the life of this thread.

This 'single weekend NRL game' represents 8% of annual Australian visitors to Las Vegas. It will be even more if the numbers are higher than last year. And that doesn't include all the players, support staff, media, etc (hundreds more people). That's what's driving Qantas' decision. Not some amorphous 'demand for general tourism on both sides'.

 

[kermatu]

Not sure I'd fly this route in the near future, but in the past have used Vegas as a base to explore the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Colorado River etc. Seen some great live music, a big circus show, and cool comedy/entertainment shows (including of a mildly more mature variety). Food used to be cheap, including cuisines from all over the world. Never stayed at a casino or spent a dollar on a casino floor.

I'm sure a lot has changed but it would still be much more than a gambling city.

 

[hutch]

Well done on making that post. Where are the others? 'Lock the thread' ... 'fake news'. Delicious.

I did have to double check that April hadn't come early
Wasn't on my bingo card, or bingo universe.

 

[justinbrett]

This 'single weekend NRL game' represents 8% of annual Australian visitors to Las Vegas. It will be even more if the numbers are higher than last year. And that doesn't include all the players, support staff, media, etc (hundreds more people). That's what's driving Qantas' decision. Not some amorphous 'demand for general tourism on both sides'.

I guess you're missing the core concept that those pax are all travelling at the same time for the single weekend event. +/- a week either side, any other pax will be coming in via LAX or other ports and/or other airlines.

Players and club staff don't fly on the scheduled services, they didn't even fly on the QF chartered services, the clubs charter their own aircraft.

As someone who's actually been to an NRL Vegas game and travels to Vegas multiple times a year I'll just leave you to argue with yourself as blind freddy can see QF needs more than the NRL to make this route a success.

 

[Quickstatus]

[OT]

MH via KUL

I did just that a week ago but the reason was that there was a reason to visit KL, and the A330-900Neo lie flats are much better than the previous iteration.
If no reason to vist KL then just go non stop with VN
Maybe QF A321XLR may operate there in time but at the moment it is more of a LCC destination.

[/OT]