Qantas orders six more 787s, plans to retire all 747s by 2020

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TheBOSman

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Looks like we all have only a few years left now to fly the Queen of the Skies with a kangaroo on the tail. I'm a shade surprised, as the 747-400ERs are not particularly old, but it appears even their time will come soon.

QANTAS ORDERS MORE DREAMLINERS, SETS DATE TO FAREWELL JUMBOS - Qantas Newsroom

Qantas has today announced an order for six additional Boeing 787-9s to fly on its international network, bringing its fleet of Dreamliners to 14 by the end of 2020.

The arrival of the new aircraft will enable the airline to accelerate retirement of its last six Boeing 747s – an aircraft type that has been in its fleet in various forms since 1971.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the announcement was an important moment for the national carrier.

“This really is the end of one era and the start of another. The jumbo has been the backbone of Qantas International for more than 40 years and we’ve flown almost every type that Boeing built. It’s fitting that its retirement is going to coincide with our centenary in 2020,” Mr Joyce said.
 
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Interiors of the additional 787s will feature the same configuration as the existing aircraft.
Not the best news for those stuck in Y or Y+.
 
Will be sad to see the Boeing 747s go, I enjoy flying on these planes. Presumably QF will find a way to make the 787s work on the SYD-SCL and SYD-JNB routes.

Not the best news for those stuck in Y or Y+.

Well that's disappointing - I was hoping QF might have learned from its mistakes with the first 4 787s and:
  • Changed Economy to 8-abreast (even at the expense of an inch of legroom)
  • Added 2-3 inches of legroom to Premium Economy
 
I will miss the 747. I've had a 100% success rate applying for upgrades on the 747. It's a great plane to fly on.

I hope this leads to daily MEL-SFO flights. Presumably the SYD-SFO flights will switch to a 787 greatly reducing capacity out of SYD which hopefully will mean that the economics of more flights out of MEL stack up.

Well that's disappointing - I was hoping QF might have learned from its mistakes with the first 4 787s
I would have liked QF to have decided to add some F seats (though that was never going to happen).

I would have liked there to be a J lounge area or some other area to stretch one's legs in without blocking the aisles or getting in the way of the FAs.
 
No need to paint/upgrade them.
Fuel prices going up again.
And despite the narrow seats, I suspect customer satisfaction is better than 747.

Also hopeful that this means there is a Project Sunrise announcement coming up soon.
 
And despite the narrow seats, I suspect customer satisfaction is better than 747.
I would have thought this would have been a bigger talking point but obviously not so much of an issue.
 
What will QF do? Order for the B777x or B787-10 or A350-1000 (which I doubt)? I think that the Boeing combo will be more likely.

I don't think they can just walk away from the 8 380 orders that they have deferred. Transferring them to another type will have to come into the mix sooner or later.
 
Will be interesting if flights to YVR become year round or seasonal on the 787. Less demand is needed to make flights on the 787 viable as there are less seats to fill.

Also once direct non-stop flights to LHR and JFK start there will be 787 that QF will have to redeploy to different routes. I’m sure QF would have considered that when deciding how many 787 to get.
 
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Well, the oxygen bottle that went bang is, shock horror, of a standard type that could be fitted to any aircraft. In fact, that particular bottle was delivered on a 767, had been on a 747-300, and two different 747-400s. Even on aircraft types that don't use pressurised oxygen for the passengers, there will still be some bottles for the flight crew system.
 
There is a massive gap between using the A380 and the A330/B787s.

Following the US3 modern "capacity discipline" approach to airline profitability? Throttling capacity = reduced supply = higher prices = higher profitability.
 
Sad but inevitable day when they go. Primary reason why many chose to become pilots. Quite a few people have never not seen a version of the 747 being operated by QF in their lifetime.
 
Presumably this might come as a shock to a few pilots who had planned to retire in the mid-20s
 
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