There's nothing much wrong with the new Qantas premium economy seats, apart from that oddball 'cradle' arrangement for the legrest and footrest. "Were reconfiguring the A380s nearly as we speak, the (first) aircraft goes in next month and comes out September," Joyce said to the publication, adding that he expects the effort to be completed by the end of next year. We can account for three of the twelve A380s. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. In particular, President Carrot-top is making noises about a 6 month timeline, whilst big pharma are talking a slightly more realistic timeframe of 9-12. Am flying PE MEL-SIN mid October this year. A sad day for passengers. The Airbus A380 has failed to win the confidence of many other operators, including Air France, which brought forward the aircrafts retirement early because of the pandemic. It's not known which two A380s will not return to service. The carrier will also roster larger A330 aircraft onto flights between Sydney and Bali between December 5 and January 26, replacing the current B737s serving the route. Already have an ET account? I guess the A380s are not very suitable for freight-only operations. PrimeFlight GSE Maintenance is a leading provider of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) maintenance, fleet maintenance, and facility maintenance services with operations across the US. Already have an Executive Traveller account? If it ain't Boeing I ain't going ". That plane is followed by a Qantas Dreamliner - both bound for Sydney. Old unrefurbished A380, last minute schedule changes (a friends LA-SYD was retime to 0930!!) Exclusive: Qantas takes delivery of new 787 after 2-year delay, RAAF streamlines training for new recruits, AucklandBeijing flights to finally return, Leonardo Australia wins AS9110 certification, Baltik Air takes on Malaysia Airlines on AdelaideKuala Lumpur, Cracks that caused wing to break off biplane were hidden, Qantas A380s was flown from storage at LAX to a facility in Dresden, International borders to open in December, says Qantas. Qantas will ground its entire flagship Airbus A380 fleet until at least the middle of 2023 as the airline comes to grips with what's expected to be a prolonged downturn in international travel. As a result Qantas is bringing back a sixth refurbished A380 superjumbo into operation from the middle of this month, providing more operational resilience over the busy Christmas holidays. Staff and onlookers swarmed Sydney Airport for their first glimpse of the superjumbo. It is also reasonable to factor in a lull over Christmas and the New Year. As there are twelve Airbus A380s in the Qantas fleet, there is still a good chance you'll receive the old configuration for the time being. It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to Speaking about the reasoning behind parking up the A380s, Joyce said it was largely about the high levels of premium seating on board the superjumbo. Cos they seriously never got the uniform right cos they never bothered to tailor it. We now have even more details from Executive Traveler on the rollout of the new interiors. Login now. So you don't like the 'Australian-ishness' of the branding but the cabin crew uniforms from Ansett and Jetstar are OK because they 'fully embued (sic) Australia' and 'come off as so much more Australian and classier'? (Dave Soda) Qantas has again announced that its flagship Airbus A380s will return to service sooner than previously expected, with the first . Resend one to yourself here. Six still sport previous generation cabins. However, CEO Alan Joyce has said today that he fully expects to bring back every A380 to the fleet, and can reactivate them as quickly as three to six months if needed. However, despite the A380s decline across airlines globally, the future at Qantas appears to be quite bright. Qantas reactivated another A380 in early November. Aotearoa New Zealands best under-the-radar winter experiences, How to survive the worlds longest flights, in style, Enjoy up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys latest transfer promo, Tasting Australia: 12 dining experiences worth travelling for, 5 reasons you shouldn't bin your boarding passes, What to do when an airline cancels your flight, New ways for airlines to win your business, Australia's airport mask mandate will soon come to an end. On a long red-eye flight, I had to wake my aisle neighbour twice during the night. However OQG as mentioned already has been refurbished and so have OQI and OQD. Thats directed our strategy by saying that we park the A380s.. The oldest Qantas A380 is VH-OQANancy Bird Walton, which arrived at Qantas in September 2008. At the time, the airline didn't think they would be . Can confirm my booking 1 July 2022 SYD-LAX (booked 2 weeks ago) x 2Pax business class, our seats have already been changed today from a 787-9 to a refurbished A380. A Qantas A380 flew to Abu Dhabi on Monday after spending several weeks in Los Angeles. Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, is calling the process a mid life upgrade, saying; The A380 is a crucial part of our long-haul fleet and this upgrade program will see customers enjoy everything the aircraft has to offer for years to come.. I loved the so-called Emerald City at the front of the upper deck. Just so quiet and smooth. Maybe if London and LA aren't in a position to get QF A380 operations, Tokyo will be. 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It comes as the airline continues to prepare for international borders to re-open in December 2021, once Australia reaches its 80 per cent vaccination target. Im not sure what sort of tourism you think operates under those conditions. Alan Joyce says the mighty superjumbo is likely to stay grounded "for at least three years.". It was the last A380 Qantas received. Well send you an email containing the activation link. Beyond that, it gets trickier. Its there with new seats on it and that nobodys ever sat on, which is unbelievably disappointing. Compare a range of products that will provide rewards and benefits to frequent flyers. That, together with being able to enjoy the usual service levels both in the lounges and on board, I think will mean that I will be looking at domestic only until late 2022 or early 2023. Qantas A380 to fly to LAX as of January 2022. The level of confidence Joyce is showing in the A380 is heartwarming, given the lack of support the giant jumbo is receiving in other quarters. SQ is very Singaporean, from the moment you arrive at the gate for a SQ flight you feel that. We flew to London in a refurbished Business Class in February and it was amazing. There will be 9 aircraft remaining. For those interested, the 'running order' will see VH-OQK as the first A380 headed for refurb at the start of July, so it might even be in the air by late August. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). The airline said total revenue loss amounted to $16 billion for the full year due to COVID-related disruptions including prolonged international border closures and multiple waves of domestic border restrictions. interact with our community. Suggesting I and L are marked as the probably next to be upgraded. The A380 is where passengers want to be for long and ultra long haul. Sorry but I think you miss the point. I get butterflies when United's vid flashes a moment of Singapore's skyline. The airline said it will use the five A380s to fly between Sydney and LA from July 2022, and between Sydney and London, via Singapore, from November 2022. So I think WA tourism would be doing a lot better since theyre allowed out and about with no infections or deaths and have been all year. In fact they actually become as in Express Airlines. Qantas will reinstate its full First Class offering at the end of this month both on the ground and in the air as post-pandemic international travel steadily. There is an unknown connection issue between Cloudflare and the origin web server. at least with the 6 refurbished examples. The last of Qantas A380s flew to the desert last September after completing a multi-million-dollar retrofit in Dresden, Germany. And its all going to be about cash when we start up international [flights].. I always base my international flying provider based on the highest comfort ad services first, hence those flying an A380 to my destination get first byte of my dollars. Frankly, QF doesn't have sufficient B787-9's to sustain or even revive international routes from SYD, MEL, PER and BNE as virus numbers o/s begin to retreat. Two more A380 aircraft are expected to undergo refurbishment before . And we do believe that it will generate cash. I get they are a bit tight for space currently at Alice, but thought I read somewhere that they could increase capacity very quickly if required. For the time being, the aircraft will remain parked until such time as demand signals that its the right moment for them to return. Can I say I never liked Qantas safety video. oqh, oqj and oqk sorry. Even at the basic level there are only four seats wide - 1-2-1, which is so good when you compare there were 10 wide downstairs. Thursday, 09 Jun 2022, 02:30:06 pm. Which is the best Star Alliance lounge at Sydney Airport? aircraft dubbed 'Queen of the Skies' by its fans, and which for decades was the backbone of Qantas' international fleet. We spent a lot of money on them. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Click OK to continue. Qantas are not mucking around getting these A380 back. Qantas Airbus A380 refurbishment schedule - Executive Traveller community discussion. You can scrap them at Alice Springs as well. They are so good. As noted, we can be pretty certain VH-OQI will be the next refurbished A380 followed by VH-OQL. If the seats are too close together in PE then how does the window seat person get out? Lead Journalist - Southwest Pacific -.A Masters level education and appetite for travel combine to make Andrew an incredible aviation brain with decades of insight behind him. The first A380 for Australian Carrier QANTAS arrived at Sydney's International Airport from Toulouse in France. Find the right card for you. And the similar scheduling windows that worked for Australia are unique. below, then click 'Submit'. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. VH-OAH,J,K ARE SHOWING 14F 70B 60PE 341E, WITH the newer stagger business seats. Log in below. Qantas hasn't released details of the A380's premium economy seat pitch but they have said the A380 would have the same premium economy seat pitch as the Boeing 787, and that's the real concern. The summer school holidays are in full swing and the. I thought they were only using the ones that had the makeover? Got a points upgrade from Economy aisle to premium economy window. With the first refurbished Qantas A380 being bedded down and due to head back to Heathrow today as QF1 following a media event in Sydney yesterday, thoughts are turning to when the next refurbished A380 will roll out of the workshops. To describe the updated look in one word, let's try "debeigified". Talking point: have you given up on airport WiFi? Andrews first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing Australian airlines adds exciting depth and color to his work. If they give these seats an extra couple of inches then I reckon you'd find the seats are very good expect for that cradle legrest. I felt terrible - I envied his ability to sleep - I didn't get a wink. Your email address will not be published. You can use your existing password to login, or if you can't remember it, you can reset it using the link provided here. OQJ is now back in the country operating QF93. A Qantas A380, VH-OQA, departs from Melbourne Airport. Those seats are 11A, 11E, 11F, 11K, 16A, 16K, 17E and 17F. The first refurbished A380 will start flying at the end of September and three more will take to the air by the end of the year. 198.204.249.226 Absolutely idea. Joyce said, If demand comes back earlier, we can reactivate the A380s within three to six months. I believe Alice Springs currently has no capacity for additional parked aircraft at the moment though it intends on doubling the capacity in the short term. VH-OQB is one of just two of Qantas superjumbos that were grounded at a purpose-built A380 hangar at LAX, rather than stored at the Victorville boneyard in the California desert. If demand increases beyond the 236-seat capacity of the Boeing 787-9, Qantas would likely add a second daily Dreamliner service onto the route enacting the same plan as announced in March 2020 when the Sydney-Singapore-London QF1/QF2 Airbus A380 service was set to be rerouted via Perth on a Boeing 787-9. Our plan was at the end of October, if the international borders were to open up, we could start 22 of the 25 destinations we had pre-COVID with smaller aircraft, smaller premium seats on it. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. The changes include replacing the older Skybed business class seats with the airline's newer Business Suites, which allow all business class passengers direct access to the aisle. Photo: Qantas. An easy decision for the airline bean counters. My focus has changed a bit I guess now concentrating on leisure rather than business travel. I really think the designers were friggin lazy. Qantas opens new Club lounge at Rockhampton airport, See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com, Michelin-starred Yannick Allno to open restaurant at Four Seasons Park Lane, Pan Pacific Orchard to open in Singapore in May 2023, Live life in the fast lane with Avis Preferred, Connect with Business Travelers Worldwide with MeetWiv, Lufthansa operates A380 to Bangkok this winter, Qantas celebrates 25-year partnership with chef Neil Perry, Qantas unveils new domestic economy inflight menus, Qantas reports improved performance in September, Qantas to launch nonstop Auckland-JFK service, To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below. The Airbus A380 touched down in wet and overcast conditions just after 06:00 on Monday. Resend one to yourself here. The schedule hasn't yet been updated to reflect this, but it should be updated shortly. To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. In terms of the A380, the forecast is still that demand will not pick up enough to sustain the superjumbo until around 2024. They don't look like kangarros to me. News. Qantas A380 refurb schedule, Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). Over Wednesday and Thursday, VH-OQB operated four flights over Sydney, each of approximately one hour's duration. VH-OQD departed Los Angeles mid-evening on Saturday for the 14 hour plus flight down to Sydney. There is a trip report by VolvoMike on Flyertalk stating he flew a non-refurbished A380 in F on Qantas on 2/5/22. I had to cancel a RTW classic reward booking utilising 2 Qantas A380 legs and now my focus is on the complete travel experience rather than getting from A to B as quickly, economically and as comfortably as possible. Almost 3500 additional operational employees employed since Easter 2022 to support increased travel. But yeah, absolutely no way to climb over (especially if the seats in front are reclined). one upper Whether Dresden winds down over January or not, most of Australia does. The thrice-weekly service departs Sydney as flight . With about five weeks to go, VH-OQI should be the next refurbished A380 set to fly around the end of October. It's not known which two A380s will not return to service. It went to Abu Dhabi three week ago and there has been no flight activity since. interact with our community. See also: Qantas unveils replica Boeing 747-200 first class lounge in a museum. 10 years of constant use does create some wear and tear. to remain on the ground for at least three years until we see those international volumes brought back," Joyce said. The flights put crews and the aircraft through it their paces. You don't have credit card details available. The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. That would be 5 with new fit out. Such sad news. Currently, Qantas has been operating its A380 fleet on services between Sydney and Los Angeles, offering only Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins. Sharp-eyed flyers reckon they had the next refurbished A380 nailed. English. He sang its praises in terms of range and economics too, saying, The 787 is such a good aircraft, it can replace the entire A380 and 747 network in terms of range, with smaller aircraft and unit costs that are even better than an A380.. Prestige and Profit, that's what will deliver a vaccine/'s from a US pharma/'s most likely by end of 2020, let's face it Armstrong walked on the moon 51 years ago. Scuttlebutt several days ago was that it would be VH-OQL, named. It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter to get the latest premium travel news, exclusives and inspiration right to your inbox. Just be happy our airline didnt fold during covid and have to get aircraft that spent two years in the desert in airworthy condition. Enjoy your QF flights, Robert R, the A380 is a joy to fly on! From mid-December, Qantas and Jetstar will reinstate international schedules between Australia and low-risk countries, including Singapore, the US, Japan, the UK, Canada and Fiji. More bums on seats equal more dollars in Qantas pockets. On Wednesday, Australian Aviation revealed that one of Qantas A380s was flown from storage at LAX to a facility in Dresden, Germany, for maintenance ahead of its planned refurbishment. The A380 takes off right at the end of the footage. This loss shows the impact that a full year of closed international borders and more than 330 days of domestic travel restrictions had on the national carrier, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said. Two more refurbed A380s have recently come out of storage from Victorville to be used on QF1/2 from 19th June. Qantas can hype up the 787 and even the A350 all they want but they need to realise neither will ever be the A380. Qantas might like to keep them flying over the busy periods. Qantas will ground its entire flagship Airbus A380 fleet until at least the middle of 2023as the airline comes to grips with what's expected to be a prolonged downturn in international travel. In short, about another year. The initial reactions to the first refurbished A380 are broadly positive, but when will the project be completed? ", Joyce said he doesn't expect the Qantas' international network to restart "in any real size from July next year", with those flights led by the smaller Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 jets "to establish the network as fast as possible.". Meanwhile, Qantas has pushed back its planned return to higher-risk destinations, such as Bali, Bangkok, Manila, and Johannesburg, until April 2022. United are flying 787s with 2-2-2 business seating as well. I can see myself waiting until I can travel on the A380 again (preferrably Qantas but, if not, Emirates, Qatar or Etihad). Qantas has told Simple Flying that they expect to refurbish the remaining 11 aircraft by the end of 2020. Required fields are marked *. Watch on. Emirates, which is by far the largest operator of the A380, however, remains committed to the plane, as does British Airways which has no plans to retire its fleet ahead of schedule. My guess is the fourth A380 wont be sighted until early February at least. The aircraft are located close to key maintenance bases, which means reactivation can be brought forward rapidly, if demand trends suddenly upwards. Sure not every flight was great, often depending on the crew but I found the comfort level (and wine selection!) The group said that it will roll out a number of customer initiatives at airports over the Christmas holidays, with a focus on making journeys easier more details will be released on this shortly. The airline is also reinstating services between Australia and New Zealand, projecting a re-start of the currently paused trans-Tasman travel bubble, also in December. VH-OQB Hudson Fysh made a splashy return home and has been busy operating familiarization flights over Sydney for out-of-practice A380 crews. Good luck to him. Australia has the population of Beijing. 14 First, 64 Business, 35 Premium Economy and 371 Economy seats. It will be the first Qantas A380 carrying fare-paying passengers since March 2020. American, United and Delta are consistent for their inconsistencies. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7c0aa9882e88e847 The airline will also extend the range of its A330-200 aircraft in order to operate some trans-Pacific routes such as Brisbane-Los Angeles and Brisbane-San Francisco. Qantas' First Revamped Airbus A380s To Begin Flying in September, This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. "The aircraftare being put into the Mojave Desert, where the environment protects the aircraft (because) we have the intention at the right time to restart them, but that is a considerable amount of time away.". below, then click 'Submit'. It operated QF1 from Sydney to Heathrow, departing Sunday, September 30, 2019, and arriving into Heathrow the next day. Inside the lounge area on board the new Qantas A380 refurbished aircraft. The problem, and this has been identified by AusBT and pretty much every Boeing 787 passenger, is that the seats are too close together, which means really cramped conditions without a lot of legroom. Qantas loyalty bonus: should you choose points or status? We know the demand will come back, its just a matter of time Weve had this forecast for some time that we dont see that occurring until 24. The airline is also winding up its Boeing 747 fleet, marking a fanfare-free end for theaircraft dubbed 'Queen of the Skies' by its fans, and which for decades was the backbone of Qantas' international fleet. Is Qantas just gonna standardize its widebody fleet to 787s? The CEO added that the airline won't dedicate the spruced-up aircraft to one . In some circles, shadows of doubt were cast over whether the type would ever return to the Australian airline at all. Didnt receive an activation email? However, you might assume the two would come from the half dozen older yet-to-be refurbished planes. There are two maintenance facilities being used for refurbishments, including one in Abu Dhabi. Andrews first-hand knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing Australian airlines adds exciting depth and color to his work. By breakfast time on Monday, the superjumbo was up in the air again. After being parked for nearly two years, the Australian carrier will once again be flying the popular superjumbo on its flight between Sydney (SYD) and Los Angeles (LAX) starting on Jan. 11. Qantas loyalty bonus: should you choose points or status? I will be very interested to see how long it takes for demand levels to increase enough to warrant the recommissioning of the A380's. I can't edit the post. In fact, one aircraft just being reconfigured flew directly to the Mojave Desert, said Joyce at the time. 9. The decision to reactivate the Qantas A380s with VH-OQB and VH-OQD is a slightly odd one. Qantas hasn't released details of the A380's premium economy seat pitch but they have said the A380 would have the same premium economy seat pitch as the Boeing 787, and that's the real concern. we are heading back from our trip on a 787 -9 via LAX which I am really looking forward to. You will be redirected to update payment method page. All the A380s will return . No major loss in Business. Which is the best Star Alliance lounge at Sydney Airport? Putting in the new seats took too long, are still not on all. I'm surprised it is cheaper to fly them to Mojave for storage than to Alice Springs. Please include the Ray ID (which is at the bottom of this error page). Whilst airline chiefs across the world are saying that there is no future for the A380 to return into service, Qantas feels confident that the superjumbo will return. parties. I believe OQI is currently in Dresden so also closer to US than AU. Although all 12 A380s will remain in hibernation, the six which have been upgraded with the latest business class seats and inflight lounges would be first to return to the skies. third Reopen QF21/22 and SYD-NRT (HND will only accept A380s during the overnight hours, only 1 on the ground at a time and they can't be there during the day slot hours). I'm sorry ladies, the uniforms makes you look tired soccer moms. And the carrier recently announced plans for new flights between Sydney and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, starting on June 29, 2023. Cathay Pacific reopens Hong Kongs The Wing Business lounge, Land up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys new transfer promo.
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