Qantas we need you [to service Cairns Internationally]

[drron]

The figures are Cairns attracts ~ 800000 visitors a year but that is all categories-tourists,visiting friends or family,on business etc.And not all would arrive by air.

 

[PineappleSkip]

I think a significant proportion of visitors would arrive by road with caravans attached.

Air Niugini punched out a press release earlier this week saying they would be running two 767 services CNS to HKK via POM twice a week effective 27 October. When checked Air Niugini website last night, still not showing

Here's the (download) PX timetable Oct 27 to Nov 24. A 767 from their heritage fleet still flying POM-HKG and return, with a connection onto a daytime F100 or F70 POM-CNS. The 767 sensibly still continues to Brisbane. The PX press release is interesting. They "can" use the 767 to lift produce out of CNS, but possibly they've realised they have no hope of filling it with passengers. Especially when their pricing CNS-HKG resembles everyone else's pricing from Aus to Europe.

I will miss the pitstop on the daytime flight BNE-HKG and the nice ladies in the (former) reef lounge, but not the pitstop at OMG am on the overnight flight back. But then I'm a geeky guy that enjoys takeoffs, landings, puzzling over the PX timetable, and posting on AFF.

Cheers skip

 

[Alyopsis]

Checked again yesterday, the outbound flights ex CNS are now coming up as 767s on the PX website but coming back it shows a swap to the Fokkers for the POM-CNS leg and a 4 hour early morning transit in the de-light-ful Port Moresby airport.

 

[Limewood]

"I do wonder if JQ added a CNS-HKG service if @Limewood would fly it or not?"
Have flown no star in PE (for some strange reason they are deluded and call it J) but only bulkhead seats otherwise the usual recline in face happens.

My main motive for going out of Cairns direct to HKG using QFF points or AS miles due to a plethora of airline J seats being available and low fees, saves time, been doing this for years and saves a stop in BNE or SYD.

 

[amaroo]

As have I, and I hated them every single time, of course, I was always continuing on, making the stop a pain in either direction. My family – living in HKG – also started avoiding the route like the plague, as have family friends who are CX Diamond+.

We did it one way BNE-CNS-HKG .... that was enough. Can't imagine how awful it would be doing the return flight.

 

[eastwest101]

Yes - your and other peoples post highlight with the loss of CX services to Hong Kong there really are not many sensible international flights from CNS except JQ to NRT and KIX.

Think of it from a CNS resident point of view, if you want to fly to anywhere in the world except for Japan, you are talking about significant back-tracking in the wrong direction back to BNE SYD MEL or AKL at least for anywhere in Asia, North America, the Middle East or Europe. With the exception of the expensive Silkair flights to Singapore (a good place to transit) and Hainan Airlines flights to Shenzen (not a good place to transit!). Its all about horrendous and/or inconvenient transit options for people in Cairns - whether its Port Moresby, Shenzen, Denpasar etc the theme seems to be either expensive and/or inconvenient.

Despite the Japanese economy and the high AUD earlier on it seems only Jetstar can survive as a direct long haul international service to and from Cairns, without any competition and essentially gifted a lot of traffic from QFi's withdrawal from Cairns. Although Cathay Pacific stuck it out longer than most of its competitors, I would guess the recent problems in Hong Kong and mainland Chiinese economy would have dealt the death blow to CX anyway (I think they made the decision to withdraw a fair while ago?).

Anyway - Cairns has typically been linked to the fortunes of the Japanese economy, and now probably also the Chinese economy, and seems to skew heavily tourism travel so is subject to the trends and risk factors inherent in tourism including exchange rates, domestic economies of tourists, travel fashions, and world competition for tourists.

 

[jpp42]

My main motive for going out of Cairns direct to HKG using QFF points or AS miles due to a plethora of airline J seats being available [...]

Surely you realise this means the seats are unsold to paying J customers and thus is an indicator that the route isn't profitable? This is a "nice while it lasts" kind of thing but this is hardly something you can expect to be there forever. Airlines will correct for it somehow, whether it's equipment changes or route rationalization as we've seen here.

 

[trooper]

Yes - your and other peoples post highlight with the loss of CX services to Hong Kong there really are not many sensible international flights from CNS except JQ to NRT and KIX.

Think of it from a CNS resident point of view, if you want to fly to anywhere in the world except for Japan, you are talking about significant back-tracking in the wrong direction back to BNE SYD MEL or AKL at least for anywhere in Asia, North America, the Middle East or Europe. With the exception of the expensive Silkair flights to Singapore (a good place to transit) and Hainan Airlines flights to Shenzen (not a good place to transit!). Its all about horrendous and/or inconvenient transit options for people in Cairns - whether its Port Moresby, Shenzen, Denpasar etc the theme seems to be either expensive and/or inconvenient.

Maybe so... but if you CHOOSE to live in such a place , don't you have to accept the limitations that come with that choice? We seem to have a fair number of people in this country who voluntarily live in out of the way - or even remote - places who somehow expect access to all the same amenities as those in the major cities.... why is that?

 

[dajop]

With the exception of the expensive Silkair flights to Singapore (a good place to transit)

Is $700 return on a carrier that offers luggage, meals, drinks, free IFE all that expensive for a 6hr flight? I'm not sure. That's what it cost to fly between SYD & MEL return at shoulder times If Qantas were to serve somewhere, such as HKG or NRT or SIN that they would be anything other than "expensive"? They have Jetstar to provide "cheaper" flights.

 

[jastel]

Used Cathay a few times years ago with no status CNS-HKG and onto Europe.
Nothing really wrong with it but...

Then I found this site and now it is "Why go direct when you can connect?"
So SYD-LHR becomes CNS-BNE-SYD-SIN-LHR on QF with 4 lounge visits and I'm Gold.

I guess it would get annoying if you were flying for work but.

 

[Limewood]

I have no idea why CX CNS/HKG/CNS would be unprofitable with planes full or hear full on the 20 odd flights we did on this sector, plus the troops in Y paid about $1100 each!!, me I used AS miles and paid around $1750 in J return, there is more afoot here than not making enough dosh. Talk around town is Emirates are on the radar, maybe thats why Ghassan Aboud who lives in Dubai is spending over a "billion" dollars on 4 new hotels in Cairns & Port Douglas, time will tell...

 

[zenyattamondatta]

Talk around town is Emirates are on the radar

Perhaps more of a possibility given that they care so little about profitability.

 

[Steveinparadise]

Hong Kong Airlines was doing a similar HKG/OOL/CNS/HKG circuit until they pulled out late last year - clearly they couldn’t make a profit on the route either.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Talk around town is Emirates are on the radar.

Does the talk around town specify which aircraft EK would use?
As of August 2018, Emirates operates a fleet of more than 250 aircraft.[69] Emirates operates the largest fleet of both the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft in the world, with one A319 as an executive jet. Emirates has had no narrow-body aircraft in its mainline fleet since 1995.
EK's smallest aircraft is a Boeing 777-200LR with 266 seats, and they only have 10 of these, so I'm not sure any would be available.
Next up is a B777-300ER with 354 or 360 in a 3 class config or 427 (!) in a 2 class config.
Cathay couldn't fill an A330-300 with 251 PAX.
Obviously it wouldn't be a direct replacement so the economics would be different but it does indicate that EK would have to generate even more demand to make it work.

 

[Scarlett]

100% of people I know named Scarlett are holidaying in and around CNS in the next few months: based on that I'd say demand is solid.

However, when I gaze into my crystal ball at the year 2029, I see a plethora of international flights from CNS on a wide range of airlines: Air Asia, Malindo, Jetstar, Scoot, Cebu Pacific, Vietjet, Valujet India as well as three new Chinese airlines I've never heard of, but I'm sure have great safety systems... and there are also rumours of a comeback by QF having recently introduced their 'game-changing' new Sunrise aircraft in their fleet and they're looking at the their new mid-haul capability being ordered and introduced to service in the 2030-2045 timeframe. Exciting times for CNS indeed. Sad that the reef is all dead, as forecast by UN secretary-general Greta Thunberg, but the tourists are still loving the fact they can actually breathe the air, see the sun and the horizon...

 

[Limewood]

Answer in earlier thread here no will no fly No Star do not like reclining seat in face even in their J (PE).

I got my old crystal ball out of the chook shed and wiped all the cough off - it says with millions on additional visitor's coming by super size ships as of next year now the harbour has been dredged after 70? something years and will be able to dock right in town, the word will get out, of course wth B$ being spent on new hotels and especially main roads (about M$500) and not enough workers Cairns will boom.

And above "reef is dead" BS, only some parts of it and not where tourists go anyway, also there are many pristine beaches. like Palm Cove and 4 mile at Port Douglas rainforests, waterfalls the tablelands and so many other attractions.

Now CX leaving, well I'm at a loss like many others, in about 20 flights I did in Y & J CNS/HKG/CNS was rare to see empty seats, so there must be more to this other than yeid as the fares too were about a third more to HKG out of BNE/SYD/MEL.

 

[Radio8tiv]

we are in the same boat in TSV with no int. flights, so I need to always get a positioning flight no matter where I fly to. Its expensive and frustrating to come back from Asia and fly directly over TSV only to go SYD, then another stop on way back in BNE because QF does not do direct flights to TSV. We have a larger population here then cairns, however our dollars are not reliant on tourism like cairns, luckily we have a steady stream of defence dollars, this does mean we miss out on services though like direct flights to HTI, OOL, SYD or MEL (on QF), international destinations, etc.

 

[PineappleSkip]

IIRC it was about 30 or more years ago that TSV (briefly) had international flights scheduled. Didn’t last long, unfortunately.

Cheers skip

 

[esseeeayeenn]

IIRC it was about 30 or more years ago that TSV (briefly) had international flights scheduled. Didn’t last long, unfortunately.

Cheers skip

I can understand that. I've been to TSV.

 

[jastel]

I flew to NZ from TSV on QF767 I think, back in 86 as a kid on a family trip...we drove down from CNS to get the flight.