I suppose the question I would have is how much time saving are we looking at here? If we use the current longest route, SIN > JFK as an example we see that the nonstop flight with SQ clocks in at close to 18 hours:
No fifth freedom/domestic rights between HNL-JFK.
Not just that, everything becomes a lot simpler. You clear immigration at HNL, not a major international airport like LAX or DFW. Meaning for those not blessed with Global Entry, they won't be waiting in line for an hour. Second, it makes domestic connections simple. There are many flights to major US destinations on OneWorld and partner airlines including Seattle (AS), Phoenix (AA), Anchorage (AS) to name but a few. Third the weather is much nicer in Hawaii meaning you are less likely to encounter Wx. Fourth, the terminals are relatively small and easy to navigate.
Didn't QF run fifth freedom between LAX and JFK pre-pandemic? I would be surprised if the DoT would deny such a request from QF. Such a move would greatly expand capacity to a popular US destination whose economy relies on travel & tourism bucks. If the DoT is worried about QF competing on that domestic route, they could prohibit the sales of such tickets so that only people travelling to/from Australia can book those flights. However, it may very well be in the public's interest to permit QF to run HNL > JFK domestically as well since there is no OneWorld carrier offering non-stop service, with only three nonstop flights daily to the island.
QF had no fifth (or 8th) freedom rights between LAX and JFK, as only passengers originating/going onto Australia were permitted onto the flights. In addition, the only passengers permitted to fly JFK-LAX only is if the ticket-holder(s) had LAX booked as a stopover with a onward flight to Australia within the next 48 hours, iirc.
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Even if the predecessor to QF3 (i.e. SYD > JFK via LAX) could only transport people to/from Australia, one could argue that there still was a benefit with that routing over this new one. In particular, flying the return to SYD, one would not need to re-clear security at LAX since they were already cleared through TSA at JFK and at least for domestic to international flights in the US, there is a recognition that TSA security clearance at one point is valid somewhere else.
I can understand why QF would make LAX a major hub for them compared to say HNL or even SFO. In particular, LAX is arguably the busiest hub in North America that Qantas can fly its birds to. This serves people from a number of airports well since there are usually backup options should their flight to/from LAX go IRROP as there are alternates available to them not just from OneWorld partners but other airlines. So if your JFK > LAX flight gets cancelled for instance, well you can fly American or Alaskan but also Delta or United as they have operations out of the major New York airports like JFK and EWR.
I suppose the issue there is about the timing of such connecting flights, something which Qantas should have some control over.
I will concede that DFW is the larger hub for AA, no doubt about that. Indeed, the only way I could get to PIT from SYD in one stop on OneWorld was flying QF to DFW then connecting onto AA's pit service. What I will point out here was that I had a 2.5 hour scheduled layover (which turned out being a 3.5 hour layover as the flight arrived an hour early). After clearing immigration (5 mins with GE), collecting my bag and clearing TSA pre-check it took me about an hour to reappear airside at DFW. At which time I enjoyed the AA Flagship lounge there.
For me, a Canadian who has Global Entry it makes no difference where I land. The process is always the same now: walk up to a Global Entry machine, it scans my face, then I walk up to the immigration counter and there is someone calling my name and they just let me through. There is no need to reach for a passport or answer any questions, it's that simple. What I will point out is that yes, the queues for people not fortunate to have this benefit are shorter at DFW than LAX and certainly JFK.
The key question will be what that experience is like. Yes I understand that Qantas has spent considerable resources researching the impact of ultra long flights. But you could do all the research you want on an issue, but the fact of the matter is if you are stuck middle seat on a 19+ hour flight to JFK in Y you are not gonna be happy. Again, there is a reason why SQ wisely chose to only offer PY and J cabins:
QF has its own counters - they are located to the far left-hand side of the terminal when you enter.
The whole QF check-in experience at JFK, including Business/Priority lanes, is very underwhelming, and I say this as a P1 who has previously been given an escort through security (on my insistence).
I have curated some comments re this from this thread:
GE = global entry US customs
Appreciate it, I guess these are all about 8-10 months from when QF3/4 launched so was hoping to see if anyone had more recent experiences. Now that the route has had a chance to settle in.
I’ve flown it a few times since and just about to do QF4 again.
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