virgin vs qantas - newbie question

[jakeseven7]

I have to disagree with this too. For the routes I travel (e.g. SYD-MEL and SYD-BNE) the frequency at peak times is the equal of QF (e.g. every 30 mins). In fact for SYD-MEL, DJ has flights every 15 mins between 6:45 and 7:15am. No doubt QF has better frequency on some routes (e.g. SYD-CBR) but give it time.
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Its not Virgins fault their fleet is alot smaller. You have picked 2 routes and QF frequency is still higher (all beit minimal) but when you start talking capacity its not even a contest. Also DJ and QF are now equal on on-time performance now which DJ used to trumpet on about being better which isn't the case anymore.

But the end of the day it comes to what price you can get the ticket you want, and:

Our company procurement team did not have ANY access to special fares - they were running online sims with both QF and DJ (if we had gone BFOD then thats how we would have to book) and like I said, over 1500 fares booked at varying lead times the cost difference between QF and DJ were not statistically significant, so I tend to believe this rather than the odd flight that I or you can check

 

[Yada Yada]

Its not Virgins fault their fleet is alot smaller. You have picked 2 routes and QF frequency is still higher (all beit minimal) but when you start talking capacity its not even a contest. Also DJ and QF are now equal on on-time performance now which DJ used to trumpet on about being better which isn't the case anymore.

But the end of the day it comes to what price you can get the ticket you want, and:

Our company procurement team did not have ANY access to special fares - they were running online sims with both QF and DJ (if we had gone BFOD then thats how we would have to book) and like I said, over 1500 fares booked at varying lead times the cost difference between QF and DJ were not statistically significant, so I tend to believe this rather than the odd flight that I or you can check

I fly SYD-MEL 90% of the time so this is the one that matters most to me. DJ frequency is great. QF would have a lot more seats because they are flying 767's on that route most of the day compare with 737's on DJ.

Nonetheless I am not doing a random price check - I check almost every week when I fly and can never get a red-e-deal at peak times unless I book a looooong way in advance. Except of course when QF25 was regularly available which I flew on once. Wasted too much time!

I hadn't heard that QF was equal to DJ's OTP. Are we talking only about the last one or two months? If so it might be premature to say that QF have caught up.

I reckon DJ's Lounge could be causing a drop in their OTP. I'm finding that the Lounge announcements are happening too late or not at all sometimes (e.g. MEL) so I end up being one of the last on board.

 

[pauly7]

Well, not necessarily. Perhaps large companies that have a direct arrangement with Qantas can get consistently cheap fares. Smaller companies such as the one I work for have to book online with the rest of the general public and in my experience rarely get the lowest fares. For example, last week on Tuesday I booked a SYD-MEL/return trip for the Thursday. QF only had full Y fares available for approx $394 each way. The lowest fare (sold out) was $145. Virgin Blue had fares as low as $169 each way and seats were available. I travelled for half the cost I would have paid for QF.

I think we could all throw up an example when DJ has been more expensive and where QF has been more expensive, however I book my own travel as well and I have to say that QF and DJ are now much of a muchness - DJ has slowly crept up and/or QF has slowly come down over the years, whatever it may be I would say that they are almost parity overall now - apart from when DJ gets forced into a price war when JQ goes on special......

 

[Yada Yada]

I think we could all throw up an example when DJ has been more expensive and where QF has been more expensive, however I book my own travel as well and I have to say that QF and DJ are now much of a muchness - DJ has slowly crept up and/or QF has slowly come down over the years, whatever it may be I would say that they are almost parity overall now - apart from when DJ gets forced into a price war when JQ goes on special......

My point is that in theory, the prices are similar. In practice, mugs like me cannot get QF's cheap fares at peak times on business days. So for me, DJ are consistently way cheaper.

 

[pauly7]

My point is that in theory, the prices are similar. In practice, mugs like me cannot get QF's cheap fares at peak times on business days. So for me, DJ are consistently way cheaper.

Hmm I think we will have to agree to disagree, Net-Net I end up flying 50% QF and 50% DJ, and I'm booking peak times on main and regional routes, sometimes on the same day, sometimes a couple of weeks out!

In practice for me Qantas and Virgin are equal over a year of travel (JQ being dirt cheap all the time but don't fly many of the routes I need)

 

[tassiedude]

No Brainer for me Virgin Blue all the way

Qantas are too expensive and I wouldn't fly their crummy Dash8's out of my home town if you paid me

 

[straitman]

No Brainer for me Virgin Blue all the way

Qantas are too expensive and I wouldn't fly their crummy Dash8's out of my home town if you paid me

....and what, specifically, is wrong with the Dash8's :?:

 

[tassiedude]

....and what, specifically, is wrong with the Dash8's :?:

They are loud and Noisy (Especially when you get seated over one of the engine propellers) They are Old look like they are ready for retirement (I mean the seat decor. Seat pitch is really bad (we are not all size 10 you know and I am not really that large I'd say average).

Just a few reasons why I dislike them I am sure Qantas International is good, but I'd never fly domestic. Qantas seems to be targeted more toward business people. Give me the Fun relaxed feeling of Jetstar or Virgin Blue any day

 

[straitman]

Give me the Fun relaxed feeling of Jetstar or Virgin Blue any day

Yeah right :!: :mrgreen:

 

[Gazza]

My word!

I am glad that none of you are taking this personaly.

I prefer Qantas because 100% of my travel is paid for by someone else (my employer).

As the difference in cost (which I think is minimal anyway) does not really enter the equation I look at how many FF programs I need to "maintain" (for the sake of simplicity I try and keep a maximum of 4 FF accounts - QF, CX, SQ, ANZ).

I use QF often for International so on this basis I prefer QF. Additional factors are the status (Plat) benefits like bonus points, lounge access, better seating ect.

Gazza

 

[stryker]

....and what, specifically, is wrong with the Dash8's :?:

No room for carry-ons. I try not to ever check bags, so it's an extreme pita.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

No room for carry-ons. I try not to ever check bags, so it's an extreme pita.

Au contraire. There is room for small carry-ons under the seat. I have gotten used to just how big will fit under there and reasonable size. For rollaboard however it needs to go in the hold (or closet if fitted). Depending on airline you may be able to do this on boarding (collect again on deplaning).

 

[Altair]

I have recently flown a DH-8 (100 or 200) SYD-DBO-SYD, with the MrsAltair2B. We were both surprised at how there appeared to be a lot more pitch on this plane.
Regarding carry on well I could not put my bag in the overhead but it comfortably fitted under the seat in front.
For noise, well row 2 was noisy but row 5 seemed quieter, I know that these aircraft do not have the noise suppression system that the newer D8 have and everytime I can fly an NZ D8-Q300 I seem to get the SAAB 340 instead.
Oh we were very impressed with the service on the DBO-SYD flight, snack box and wine.

 

[stryker]

Au contraire. There is room for small carry-ons under the seat. I have gotten used to just how big will fit under there and reasonable size. For rollaboard however it needs to go in the hold (or closet if fitted). Depending on airline you may be able to do this on boarding (collect again on deplaning).

Yes, that's fine, but what about the 4 Kg carry-on limit for the QF Crashes?

Just grin and ignore it, I guess.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

No such limit on other airlines (eg NZ, AC, VO, etc)

 

[garyjohn951]

They don't seem worried about the weight, it is the size they are looking at.
You could be carrying bricks, but as long as the item fits under the seat and you carry it easily.

 

[Altair]

I have not flown from CBR in the last 10 years so I do not know if it is relevant, but in SYD the something that some people may not like is the fact that for the D8 there is no airbridge you need to walk out onto the tarmac and if it was a rainy as my SYD-DBO trip you can get absolutely drenched. This is a problem for most turbo-props but of course some airports do not have airbridges for even the jets.
In NZ there are some airports, HLZ (a godsend the 3 times I was there) and DUD (?) they actually use an airbridge for the ATR72! Invercargill (IVC) is supposedly fixing their airbridge to do the same.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Whereas other airports like Queenstown don't have any airbridges at all despite the frequent jet services.

 

[oz_mark]

Whereas other airports like Queenstown don't have any airbridges at all despite the frequent jet services.

The QF PER domestic terminal has three aerobridges to go around. Nowhere near enough, and you can be walking across the tarmac regardless of what sort of aircraft you are on.

 

[Altair]

The QF PER domestic terminal has three aerobridges to go around. Nowhere near enough, and you can be walking across the tarmac regardless of what sort of aircraft you are on.

Last 2 747 trips I was on both had to use the steps.
LHR middle of a freezing winter's night, not the recent freezing fog times, and at the new Bangkok airport which had lots of lovely looking spare airbridges....documented in many places but the bus did save a walk to immigration....but I was transiting....