QF to resume Sapporo flights?

[RSVKanga]

QF have updated their route map which shows that they fly/will fly a seasonal service to Sapporo, but there is no mention of this flight in the table below on the website. Is this an error or could it signal an announcement very soon? QF previously flew seasonal to Sapporo in 2019 until the pandemic.

 

[lakeman]

That looks to be direct as well!

 

[SeaWolf]

The first question that springs to mind would be how would they operate it? They're struggling to operate the routes they have, resorting to wet leases. Where would they get the planes to add another route and wouldn't they look to start operating the wet leased routes with their own planes first?

Or perhaps they'd do it by wet leasing more planes, continuing Alan Joyce's great vision of a fully out sourced airline.

 

[AIRwin]

What is *Subject to borders referring to?

 

[henrus]

That looks to be direct as well!

They were direct pre-covid

https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/media-releases/qantas-to-launch-seasonal-flights-to-sapporo/

The first question that springs to mind would be how would they operate it? They're struggling to operate the routes they have, resorting to wet leases. Where would they get the planes to add another route and wouldn't they look to start operating the wet leased routes with their own planes first?

They used to use A330s and my guess is at the expense of A330 domestic services once again. Expect less A330s between SYD/MEL and PER with more domestic configured A330s used on flights around Asia.

What is *Subject to borders referring to?

That map has been constantly updated since April 2021 when they resumed international flying between AU and NZ then further revisions in Nov 2021 when international flying resumed. The subject to borders has been there ever since and I suspect no one has bothered to remove it.

 

[RSVKanga]

What is *Subject to borders referring to?

This map has existed since late 2021 and has progressively been updated as QF resumed flights to exisiting destinations as well as new ones in the 3 years since, and "subject to borders" refers to Australia's dystopian COVID-19 border controls under the former Morrison Government, and it's probably that nobody has been bothered to remove that footnote.

 

[SeaWolf]

They used to use A330s and my guess is at the expense of A330 domestic services once again. Expect less A330s between SYD/MEL and PER with more domestic configured A330s used on flights around Asia.

They could have done that instead of the existing wet lease arrangements though but choose the out sourcing option instead for some reason. I can't imagine it would be different for this route.

 

[RSVKanga]

They're struggling to operate the routes they have, resorting to wet leases.

Yep, but that's a good thing because QF didn't fly to DEL, BLR, CDG, FCO, ICN, DIL, TBU as well as YVR year-round pre-pandemic - I'd say that this is a massive net gain of QF destinations since 2019, and no wonder it's putting pressure on the fleet. I agree that QF [redacted] fleet planning in the 2010s, but I think a strained fleet with more destinations is better than a more flexible and available fleet with a limited amount of destinations.

 

[elanshin]

As much as it's popular QF probably don't have the planes to do it right now.

Maybe they'll offload it to JQ instead for the time being.

 

[henrus]

They could have done that instead of the existing wet lease arrangements though but choose the out sourcing option instead for some reason. I can't imagine it would be different for this route.

Crew shortages are why the Finnair A330s are wet leased for the first 2.5 years and then dry leased after, this buys them time to get A330 trained crew.

 

[elanshin]

Crew shortages are why the Finnair A330s are wet leased for the first 2.5 years and then dry leased after, this buys them time to get A330 trained crew.

I suspect it's more Finnair doesn't want to downsize their own crew and forcing QF to wet lease means QF pays AY to keep more of their staff around.

 

[hutch]

Given it would be a winter service, I wonder if things like the usual seasonal A380 to HKG, may help free up an A330 for a seasonal Sapporo service.

 

[elanshin]

Given it would be a winter service, I wonder if things like the usual seasonal A380 to HKG, may help free up an A330 for a seasonal Sapporo service.

Assuming the 380s are actually back. Who knows when the 4 at AUH will be back. There's barely enough to run QF11 (SYD -LAX) today. They still have to add JNB to the a380 network.

It's honestly more likely that JQ might get their 321XLR and fly that seasonally or swap a 787 route for it.

 

[moa999]

The 4 A380s currently in AUH is how they will operate it (and the switch to A380s on JNB routes) which will free up 787s.

In pre-Covid times QF typically ran a schedule with all 380s available over the summer holidays, and then 1-2 in for maintenance during the remainder of the year.

 

[jb747]

Crew shortages are why the Finnair A330s are wet leased for the first 2.5 years and then dry leased after, this buys them time to get A330 trained crew.

And yet the annual allocation of training slots is virtually non existent. My take is that they're continuing to farm out everything they can, including the flying. Rather like Boeing, in that flying is no longer any part of the core business (whatever that actually is).

 

[AIRwin]

flying is no longer any part of the core business (whatever that actually is)

Frequent Flyer?

 

[cwd]

It's been a while since Qantas have flown BNE-MNL which looks to be a route on that map. Haven't heard any mention of it coming back? Could be a good A321 route though.

 

[henrus]

It's been a while since Qantas have flown BNE-MNL which looks to be a route on that map. Haven't heard any mention of it coming back? Could be a good A321 route though.

Only a single line coming out of Manila and that’s the Sydney route - currently operated by an A330.

PAL use a 321neo on the route so it’s not out of the question.

 

[SeaWolf]

And yet the annual allocation of training slots is virtually non existent. My take is that they're continuing to farm out everything they can, including the flying.

Seems to have worked pretty well for them domestically. Looking at the BITRE stats, Qantas only operates around 40% of QF coded domestic flights, the rest being outsourced to the various Qantaslink airlines.

If the arrangement with Finnair works out for them, we may see the current domestic model extended onto the international network as well.

 

[flyer89]

And yet the annual allocation of training slots is virtually non existent.

14 command slots is the highest of any fleet. Woeful.