Qantas replaces Emirates on most Trans Tasman flights

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As most of my flights are the 146 and 149 AKL/SYD and the 151 redeye from MEL, this is a positive for me.

Very surprised that the 151 is going to an A330. Never been in a full J cabin (so less than 12) in maybe 7 or 8 flights, including one this week.

Chatting to staff in the EK lounge in AKL this week and they had no idea this was happening. But did confirm the lounge had been pretty quiet lately, except for the direct DXB late flight.

Interestingly the lounge is currently being expanded. That decision would have preceded this but can’t see them stopping now. Will be passing through AKL again soon but in the morning so won’t get to ask.
 
I can see Emirates consolidating quite a bit more....They have something in the order of 20 380s that are just parked around the airfield at Dubai....not doing anything. Some are older ones that they would like to sell, and for which there are no buyers, and others are brand new, but they cannot crew. To a degree, they've got the same issues as Ryanair.
 
Very surprised that the 151 is going to an A330. Never been in a full J cabin (so less than 12) in maybe 7 or 8 flights, including one this week.

Do you think the reason QF151 is not full in J is because it's currently a 737 - so with recliner seats (not lie-flat beds) in business class?

Perhaps it will become a more attractive option for a redeye flight after the aircraft upgrade?
 
Do you think the reason QF151 is not full in J is because it's currently a 737 - so with recliner seats (not lie-flat beds) in business class?

Perhaps it will become a more attractive option for a redeye flight after the aircraft upgrade?

Agreed that 737 J product is so far inferior to the 330 service it's beyond a joke but QF charges the same. I'm guessing regular J pax aim for the 330 service (and up to now the EK A380 service) if they could justify the timings. I'd go out of my way to avoid the 737 J offering as long as the alternative timings are sensible.
 
Agreed that 737 J product is so far inferior to the 330 service it's beyond a joke but QF charges the same. I'm guessing regular J pax aim for the 330 service (and up to now the EK A380 service) if they could justify the timings. I'd go out of my way to avoid the 737 J offering as long as the alternative timings are sensible.

Out of interest, would you choose a redeye A330 flight over a daytime B737 flight in J, assuming prices were equal?

As much as I prefer the A330 business class, I'd personally be unlikely to choose the overnight flight on a route like MEL-AKL unless I had no other option. YMMV.
 
Do you think the reason QF151 is not full in J is because it's currently a 737 - so with recliner seats (not lie-flat beds) in business class?

Perhaps it will become a more attractive option for a redeye flight after the aircraft upgrade?
Possibly, but from my own experience (no choice but to take this time), talking to other J pax who have come off QF10, and the staff travelling, that’s the usual cohort of passengers flying this route, I believe. If this cohort makes up on average 6 pax, would there be 20 pax prepared to fly for the A330? I don’t have any data, just a few observations.

Personally I’d never take this flight if I could avoid it. It is 3 hours max, so maybe 2.5 hours you can sleep. It’s a tough length. Others will disagree, but I wouldn’t choose this flight over a regular timed flight just because it is an A330. Of course, I will be happier for it.

Only pluses of this flight for me are F lounge is still open and I always get a spa treatment, and my two go to hotels in AKL usually have a room for me by 9am latest so it doesn’t kill me quite so bad if I don’t sleep onboard (which I tend not to).
 
Out of interest, would you choose a redeye A330 flight over a daytime B737 flight in J, assuming prices were equal?

As much as I prefer the A330 business class, I'd personally be unlikely to choose the overnight flight on a route like MEL-AKL unless I had no other option. YMMV.

As a regular traveller on the route the short flight time (~3 hours) is too unkind on the body to function effectively upon arrival in Auckland. I much prefer the early start from Melbourne arriving in Auckland at lunchtime.
 
Out of interest, would you choose a redeye A330 flight over a daytime B737 flight in J, assuming prices were equal?

As much as I prefer the A330 business class, I'd personally be unlikely to choose the overnight flight on a route like MEL-AKL unless I had no other option. YMMV.

Good question. Given the short nature of flights from Eastern States AU to NZ I'd probably go with 737 in that situation as short red eye flights even with better hard product are difficult to get really comfortable on.

If we were talking 6 hour + flight I'd take the red eye 330 over the day flight 737.
 
Am awaiting to be rebooked (via expedia) - no news yet. Emirates say it will take them a day, but prior to hitting the hang up button said as I'd booked via a travel agent to speak with them (as you would usually expect). Spoke with Expedia - they haven't heard anything from Emirates yet. Spoke with them on Wednesday - am awaiting a rebooking.
 
Once again people are making assumptions that the majority of the travelling public actually know or care what aircraft they are on and what product is being offered. This is not the case, the majority wouldn't know the difference, and EU and American travellers are actually getting an upgrade from their 'regional' business/first products!
 
Once again people are making assumptions that the majority of the travelling public actually know or care what aircraft they are on and what product is being offered. This is not the case, the majority wouldn't know the difference, and EU and American travellers are actually getting an upgrade from their 'regional' business/first products!

I dunno about that! Pax are making a decision to fly EK (or QF) over cheaper fares on JQ or 'seat only' fares on NZ. And EK is marketing their A380 on television. At least at my office, plenty of folk travelling to NZ (often 2-3 times a year for family reasons or holidays) know the difference between the service offerings on all the airlines. 99% of them are price sensitive and take JQ because it's cheapest, but if they score EK during a sale they are very happy.
 
Come join me 24 March on EK407, already 4 F pax. Or if you choose EK435 we can at least attempt to drink the AKL lounge dry ;)
I won't be able to make it. I am actually heading in the other direction on another 'last' A380 flight - QF9.
 
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Specially premium.

Almost all flights I have been on have had near empty J and F cabins. Next month I am the only pax in F (so far) on one sector, and 1 of 3 (so far) on another and the J cabins only have a few seats allocated (I know it's not a full picture of the loads of course, but it's a fair indication than there's very little paid demand).

I think EK's main traffic AU-NZ has been cheap fares down the back which may have made some sense, but I can see EK to rejig schedules for a bigger spread from their AU destinations (such as the new EK flight timed to replace QF1's SYD-DXB timings)

Assuming appropriate retiming (eg not having EK434 parked until 9pm) you'd think they'd have additional airframes with crews capable of adding more services DXB-AUS or NZ. Every flight over to NZ now can save 3-4 crew days (flight over, day break, flight back, day break) as well. I think thats beneficial to most. It would be great to see a second 380 BNE service - one leaving morning (like 415/409, or even later) and one leaving in the evening (435).
 
I dunno about that! Pax are making a decision to fly EK (or QF) over cheaper fares on JQ or 'seat only' fares on NZ. And EK is marketing their A380 on television. At least at my office, plenty of folk travelling to NZ (often 2-3 times a year for family reasons or holidays) know the difference between the service offerings on all the airlines. 99% of them are price sensitive and take JQ because it's cheapest, but if they score EK during a sale they are very happy.

Of course the general flying public will choose UAE over QFA. Brand perception works wonders.

And as you've put it, 99% are price sensitive and don't get what aircraft or airline they fly, as long as it gets them there for less.
 
Hopefully the A330 redeye out of MEL provides a further encouragement to keep the F lounge open, including the spa in the evening. Staff seem to think that will be the case but unfortunately I doubt they’d be told this far out if it was not to be.
 
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