Qantas may ditch most first class seats...

[Dee Thom]

To me it's a shame that QF didn't go with B777's around the same time Air NZ did, fitted in J, W, Y seating. Who knows when the troubled 787 will eventually start deliveries, and the A350 is still a few years out. As for F class, they are over priced, and under utilised at the best of times, can't see the value in it; J will sufice for this lad.........

Cheers Dee

 

[estate]

It would make more sense to just interline with AA and not run a 744 to JFK and back once a day at all.

Are QF actually losing money on this route though?
The plane's going to be in LAX anyway, and if the pax they do have aboard plus the cargo cover costs, it's worth it. And I imagine LAX charges a pretty penny to host planes on the hardstand for as long and as often as QF do it.
Also, I would guess it's worth more than a few bob to QF in marketing and image terms to have their metal seen in LHR and JFK. In fact, I'm surprised Wunala Dreaming doesn't fly to JFK more regularly than she does.

 

[harvyk]

I was under the impression that it's more about QF having QF metal in JFK... That way they can offer "direct" flights from SYD - JFK which I imagine (and have seen in their media releases) is quite a selling point...

I believe for a little while (although this is 2nd hand info) that QF stopped the LAX-JFK run for a short while, but then changed their mind soon afterwards...

 

[straitman]

Are QF actually losing money on this route though?
The plane's going to be in LAX anyway, and if the pax they do have aboard plus the cargo cover costs, it's worth it.

estate,

You hit the nail on the head with the cargo comment. This is where the real money is with this and many routes.