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Hong Kong next for Qantas A380s

written by australianaviation.com.au | November 11, 2011
A380 F-WWSK (MSN0063) will be delivered to Qantas later this month as VH-OQK. It is pictured here during a cabin fitout test flight from Hamburg. (Helmut Groening)

Hong Kong will be the next destination for Qantas’s Airbus A380 fleet, with the airline announcing plans to operate the double decker four times a week between Sydney and the key Asian financial hub.

The airline says QF127 Sydney-Hong Kong will be operated by A380s on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with same days returns as QF128 from Hong Kong to Sydney, from January 15 next year.

Qantas says the delivery of its eleventh and twelfth A380s later this year will allow it to operate the aircraft to Hong Kong, plus increase Melbourne-Singapore-London services from six times weekly to daily, and  Melbourne-Los Angeles A380 flights from four flights per week to daily.

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Comments (15)

  • Neil

    says:

    You ask what I’m thinking. Everything I hear from QANTAS is about Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. These cities are the QANTAS golden triangle in Australia. Brisbane is not on their radar. In fact no route out of Brisbane has had a capacity increase for years. Brisbane airport has twice as many passengers as Perth but is serviced domestically with largely 737’s and a few old 767’s. LA is run by an old 747-400. As far as I am concerned for international services, bring in the foreign airlines. Thai Airways daily to Bangkok on a 777! Korean 6 days a week to Seoul on a 330! Singapore is about to increase Brisbane to 24 flights a week! QANTAS provide one daily flight to Singapore that up to a week or two ago was a 747, now it is a 330. I also say go Air Australia (Strategic) Brisbane to Honolulu! Brisbane to Phuket! Stuff having to fly to Sydney to travel with QANTAS! As for the 787, they won’t fly up here, they will service the golden triangle and we will continue to be serviced with 737’s and the oldest wide-bodied aircraft in the fleet.

  • Jayden

    says:

    Hopefully Qantas ends up flying the A380 to HKG daily as I am flying to HKG on a wednesday the 4th of April 2012 on QF127 which is a 747.

  • Mark

    says:

    Neil, As a frequant traveller with Qantas I agree with you most of the way. (with the exception of Perth). This airline is so Sydney focused it is crazy.

    There is so much mining money in Queensland that Qantas is missing out on or choose not to take. Another case in point, Brisbane to Hong Kong. Flown 11 times per week by Cathay Pacific, flown 4 times per week by Qantas. 5 weekly Direct flights into Mainland Chine with China Southern, heading to daily in 2012.

    As you pointed out Singapore airlines are heading towards 4 flights per day, Qantas the same old one departure per day. And they wonder why they are only getting 18% of traffic. 2013 Emirates are looking at A380 out of Brisbane, Hence why they have invested in the only lounge outside of Dubai that connects directly from their lounge into the Aircraft.

    But while Qantas see Sydney as the only option, all other airlines are taking the money and laughing all the way to the bank.

    Maybe one day they will get a CEO that might see the bigger picture (and not just Asia)

    .

  • Neil

    says:

    Thank you for your comments Mark. I mentioned Perth because the vast majority of its flights to the east coast are with wide body aircraft (330 & 767). There is even a domestic flight with a QF 747 SYD-PER-SYD. BNE-SYD is Australias second route and it is flown largely by 737. MEL-BNE is Australias third air route and it is flown solely by 737. Mind you ADE doesn’t seem to be serviced by 767, domestically, at all. All 737. I know BNE topped 20 mill pass last year. As I said if QF don’t wan’t BNE bring in an airline that does!

  • Cooper

    says:

    Guys you need to do you research before you go throwing things out in the open. Qantas has been upgrading their 747’s with the new a380 interiors for all classes. There is currently one in operation that operates bne-lax a few times a week. And of coarse it will focus on Sydney. That’s it’s base. Just like jetstar and tiger focus on Mel.

  • Neil

    says:

    Cooper, I have done my research. They may have done up the interior of the 747, it is still an old 747-400. You may be interested to know that there are around 40 international flights a day out of BNE, I think 5 or 6 are operated by QANTAS /Jetstar aircraft. The other 35 are V Australia or foreign airlines. Sydney has around 30-35 international QANTAS flights per day. QANTAS is already Sydney focussed and they have 18% market share! Wake up QANTAS, the defintion of insanity is doing things the same way and expecting different results. The foreign airlines have woken up and operate to a number of cities! Their strategy is working! QANTAS will continue to lose market share while they are Sydney focussed no matter how many 380’s they operate.

  • Cooper

    says:

    Even if the 747s are old they still beat the a330 anyday. And the revamped 747s have an average age of 10-12 years so respectfully in airline years that’s average. They are not old. As for the Asian airlines. They have a lower cost base so ofcoarse they will fly more frequently. Qantas can’t compete against v Australia because there operating costs are much lower and they give just as good service. V also only run one flight a day. And that’s to Los Angeles. When it comes to Jetstar you will find they only fly to nz from Brisbane. Regardless the flying kangaroo is on course for an abrupt crash in its finances and market share. You can’t win if you have traveling public who prefer to take the cheapest price in tickets and with qantas staff that re ignorant to change. I can perhaps see virgin being Australia’s biggest international airline in a decade if they get the backing to further expand their international fleet

  • John

    says:

    Qantas having scheduled flights is one thing, Qantas allowing their customers to book on it is something else. Back in May, I tried to book BNE-LHR return for an October trip through Qantas. The only option available for the return flight was LHR-MEL-BNE. So, after a 23hr flight, Qantas then wanted to stuff us down the back of a 737 for three more hours of misery. I think not! I gave up and went SIA. The SIA customer service experience down the back of the plane was better that I get when travelling Qantas business.

    I also agree with the above comments about Qantas being Sydney centric. Until Qantas management get out of their Sydney fortress, the company will continue to slide backwards. I, for one, am sick of catching clapped out 737-400 to Canberra and 767-300 to Perth. Even when Qantas schedules the A330, it is the seven abreast seating (with the centre now plugged, thankfully). It just shows how arrogant Qantas is.

  • Neil

    says:

    Cooper, I don’t think it is about the cheapest price it is about a direct flight. QANTAS want everyone to travel through Sydney. As I said that strategy is not working. It will never work!

  • tim

    says:

    I totally agree with what Neil says, i want a direct flight and will pay more or it.

  • Geo Carindale

    says:

    I agree with Neil’s comments but can I add something else into the pot. Consecutive Qantas CEO”s and Chairman have failed to add to their fleet the most suitably sized aircraft for international flights out of Australia the Boeing 777. Sure the A380 and 747 have their place at the big population hubs but for years some of these planes have been flying out half or two thirds full……and QANTAS are wondering why they are losing money on international routes. Can the 777 be so wrong in QANTAS’s eyes when even V Australia are flying them to the US and even our smaller brother ANZ are flying them. Emirates have today placed another order for 50 777’s and that gives them a fleet of over 100 777’s alone while Boeing are now building their 1000th 777. Instead of flying behemoths like the A380 (500 pax) AND 747 (450 pax) where you don’t have the passenger numbers the 777 with seating of 320 pax would be ideal. The most fuel efficient plane in its class and QANTAS have ignored it for years

  • louievandeoorst

    says:

    between Qantas and SIA and EMIRATES is big diference.All flights out of Australia are just a feeding flights for SIA or EK.However, Qantas flight from Sydney or Melbourneis dedicated flight to London.Qantas simply can not afford to fly to London from every town in Australia.We simply have not enough passengers.Thats why!
    SIA has 4 flights per day out of Brisbane,but not all of passengers go to London.That what is difference when one have got hub in Singapore and other one in Sydney.No point to mentioned EK or others with hubs like Dubai.

  • louievandeoorst

    says:

    Neil,you are missing the most important part of that bussines.
    Qantas flights to destinations as London, Los Angeles etc are dedicated Long Haul Flights and Qantas simply can not affordet to fly those flights from every city in Australia.Yes, SIA has 4 flights from Brisbane per day, however all those passengers do not flyto same final destination, only to Singapore where they can feed other SIA long houl flights to various destinations.That what is advantage of having a hub geograficly in Singapore versus hub in Sydney.EK with hub in Dubai is even in much much better position than anyone else in Asia.
    Qantas can not compete to that, whatever they do.Advantage go to be on side of oposition,that why Qantas try to focus tovards Northern Asia.
    Qantas know they have no chance in competition to EK,EY,QR,so would be pointless even try to.As Geo Carindale says..Qantas fail to obtain B777.Well they did look at that option several times in past.However earlyer models of B777 did proved endeed that werent suitablly for Qantas at that time.Those early models of b777 could not mach performances of b747 at that time( to fly in Europe, unable to cope with trans Pacific flights etc).So Qantas ordered 12 A380 and shortly afterwards invested more in B747 ER.Shortly after that Qantas ordered 65 B787.
    Well the real breakthrough in development of B777 come in 2004 with B777-200ER,B777-200LR and B777-300ER.Just two models B777-ER and B777-300ER account for roughly 1000 orders from 1300 total orders for all models of B777.
    Qantas simply wont have any advantage today with B777-300ER over A380 on major European or American route.A380 is still more economical per seat load compare to B777-300ER (preasumably both of them are full).
    To use B777 on thinier routes,where Qantas can not fill A380, well nice dream.
    Problem of Qantas is NOT the type of a/c they have but expenses of staff.Qantas have got one of the most expensive cost bases on world and there is no aircraft which can bring that diference into Qantas.
    So think over, there is a lot of sense in that what AJ and Qantas management are doing lately,be pasionate, time will tell..

    Regards

  • Neil

    says:

    Geo, you are absolutely right, it was huge mistake for QANTAS to not purchase the 777. louievandeoorst Between QANTAS and British Airways there 4 flights out of Sydney to Europe daily. To hub in Singapore, QANTAS provide Brisbane with 1 A330 daily, 300 seats. If QANTAS wan’t us to hub in Sydney (I dislike that airport) they should put on more domestic flights. Every international traveller on a domestic flight knocks out someone who just wants to fly to Sydney. I don’t know if you are aware it has been said that Melbourne will be the larger city and airport within 10 years. They will overtake Sydney. QANTAS can set up in Asia. How will that affect Brisbane? Neither QANTAS nor Jetstar wan’t us anyway. Again – Brisbane has 40 international flights daily. 33 of them are flown by foreign airlines or Virgin Australia. Singapore Airlines is about to introduce an extra 5 flights into Brisbane a week. QANTAS up until a month ago was deploying a 747 on our Singapore route and dropped it back to a 330!

  • Simon

    says:

    QATANAS are quite happy to expain their Australian routes – just won’t be known as QANTAS, won’t be based in Australia and wont have Australians working for it.

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