6thfreedom From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, RR: 22 Posted (8 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 2844 times:
I can't believe that QR is launching 4pw DOH-ATH services on 15 June, and increasing to 6pw by 1 July???
I understand that most times QR do not make commercially viable decisions, but this is absolute suicide!
Where do they intend to feed pax to/from???
They still dont have any Australian services, which would have assisted in at least getting some pax onto the service. The greece-originating market is VERY small, and there is plenty of capacity from Asia to Athens...
EK - 5pw
GF - daily
TG - 2-3pw
SQ - 2-3pw
I think that on most days these A320's will be going out with 15-20% loads.... and that's on a good day.
6thfreedom From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, RR: 22 Reply 2, posted (8 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 2679 times:
OK, most times may have been a little bit rich.
but the general feeling within the industry is that QR services are often supported by oil and gas money from Qatar rather than pax returns.
Regardless, my point on ATH services remains. Can anyone elaborate on current traffic levels between Qatar and Greece, and more importantly, how QR will support these services??
Gardermoen From Australia, joined Jul 1999, 1518 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (8 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 2667 times:
Could this possibly mean the Melbourne service will finally get started soon? There is a large ATH-MEL market, and QR could do well if it offered good connections through Doha, like Gulf Air has done on the ATH-SYD route via Bahrain.
Behramjee From Canada, joined Aug 2003, 4441 posts, RR: 43 Reply 5, posted (8 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 2665 times:
The main O&D routes of QR are to LHR, India, MNL, BKK, CGK, CMB, DAC, Saudia and BEY. All their other long/medium haul routes are largely aimed at the 6th freedom traffic...just like EK and GF...though EK has more O&D traffic appeal than these airlines due to the financial and tourist prestige of DXB all over the world now.
6thfreedom From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, RR: 22 Reply 6, posted (8 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 2 hours ago) and read 2652 times:
Quoting Gardermoen (Reply 3): Could this possibly mean the Melbourne service will finally get started soon? There is a large ATH-MEL market, and QR could do well if it offered good connections through Doha, like Gulf Air has done on the ATH-SYD route via Bahrain.
certainly is.... although I would have expected services to start in paralle.
also the peak travel period australia-greece is april-sept, so i think they've missed a major opportunity.
Braybuddy From Ireland, joined Aug 2004, 5286 posts, RR: 35 Reply 7, posted (8 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 2616 times:
Quoting 6thfreedom (Thread starter): I understand that most times QR do not make commercially viable decisions, but this is absolute suicide!
I flew with them four times and I have to say they just reeked MONEY! Very impressive, and with an A330 flying Doha-Colombo with less than 100 pax they obviously don't care about costs. GREAT airline. Best I've ever flown with, and that includes Singapore and Cathay!
Mika10021 From Greece, joined Jul 2004, 122 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (8 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day ago) and read 2594 times:
There might not be a big passenger market but the cargo is pretty good.Also there are a lot of muslim people in Athens and the Greece-Australia market is pretty big.
And I have a change to see the motogp in Qatar.
6thfreedom From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, RR: 22 Reply 9, posted (8 years 1 month 2 weeks 19 hours ago) and read 2524 times:
will be interesting to see if QR commences its proposed DOH-BKK-MEL services in October 2005. This service was announced about 18 months ago, but I havent heard anything yet.
6thfreedom From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, RR: 22 Reply 11, posted (8 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 2300 times:
Quoting Aleksandar (Reply 10): It doesn't sound like a bad idea. Even if passenger market in Greece is low, they could attract transit passengers from other countries in the region.
You should not look only at Greek market, but the market of the whole region and today every additional passenger counts.
Unfortunately greece is not the ideal place for this A.
Would you travel from Belgrade to Athens to connect to a QR flight to Doha and beyond? There are other hubs which are much closer, and there are also direct services. In terms of catchment area for QR in Athens -
Rome and MIlan are already served
Istanbul has services
Zagreb and Belgrade are better served through Vienna or northern hubs.
6thfreedom From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, RR: 22 Reply 15, posted (8 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 2195 times:
Quoting BCNGRO (Reply 12): Quoting Gardermoen (Reply 3):
There is a large ATH-MEL market
Sorry but I don't get why
Believe it or not, Melbourne has the largest Greek population of any city outside of Greece, and is in fact regarded as the 3rd largest Greek speaking city in the world, after Athens and Thessaloniki.
1st, 2nd and 3rd generation Greeks in melbourne are rumoured to be over 700,000!
Quoting Oly720man (Reply 13): According to the arab air carriers online timetable
AirMale From Botswana, joined Sep 2004, 368 posts, RR: 2 Reply 20, posted (8 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 15 hours ago) and read 2097 times:
DOH-MEL or SYD will not happen anytime soon. QR does not have the right equipment for the route. QR depends on connecting traffic and selling Europe to Australia with 2 stops is simply too much. Competitors do it with one stop for the same fare.
6thfreedom From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, RR: 22 Reply 21, posted (8 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 2035 times:
Quoting AirMale (Reply 20): DOH-MEL or SYD will not happen anytime soon. QR does not have the right equipment for the route. QR depends on connecting traffic and selling Europe to Australia with 2 stops is simply too much. Competitors do it with one stop for the same fare.
i know what u r saying airmale, but lots or airlines are still doing it... and doing quite well.
EK - EUROPE/DXB/SIN/MEL
TG - EUROPE/BKK/SYD/MEL
OS - EUROPE/VIE/SIN/MEL
And u can prob add QF and BA to the list for anywhere except LHR + FRA..
EUROPE-LHR/FRA-SIN-MEL.
PS. What is the 'correct' equipment for QR, and have they ordered it yet?
Iakobos From Belgium, joined Aug 2003, 3304 posts, RR: 38 Reply 23, posted (8 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 1965 times:
A friend, a specialist of the local travel industry, happened to tell me about this tonight.
Unless there is something we are not aware of, we concluded that the six weekly A320 flights would see anything from 0 to 30 pax.
QF hired local personel just weeks ago.
Note: if Melbourne hosts more than 700,000 Greeks it would be the second Greek city, Thessaloniki has just over 650,000 (official figures from the 2000 census).
6thfreedom From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, RR: 22 Reply 24, posted (8 years 1 month 1 week 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 1959 times:
Quoting Iakobos (Reply 23): A friend, a specialist of the local travel industry, happened to tell me about this tonight.
Unless there is something we are not aware of, we concluded that the six weekly A320 flights would see anything from 0 to 30 pax.
QF hired local personel just weeks ago.
Note: if Melbourne hosts more than 700,000 Greeks it would be the second Greek city, Thessaloniki has just over 650,000 (official figures from the 2000 census).
Iakobos - I would have to agree with your freidn. with no connections to Australia, I cant see QR sustaining 6 flights per week!
Numerous internet sources have confirmed that melbourne has the third largest Greek population in the world, so perhaps the figure is 600,000, not 700,000.
Either way, it will be interesting to monitor QR. Until the Australian market is served, I think Greeks will get some outsstanding fares with QR to Bangkok-Singapore etc etc.... perhaps they'll be giving seats away!
25 AirMale: Why only look at the australian market??? QR will be able to offer convenient connections from ATH via DOH to JNB/CPT (quite a few ethnic greeks live
26 Chinaeastern: it wouldn't be difficult to fillup a flight for QR but whether they can make money out of it is another story. i mean that it's still quite convenient
27 ODAFZ: A very quick look at their timetable shows that QR will be able to offer the following connecting services from DOH (based on 4 flights a week) ATH-DO
28 AirMale: ODAFZ: you forgot Sunday connections to JNB/CPT: 1 QR 473 7 ATH DOH 1530 1930 0 CONNECT DOH 320 QR 580 7 DOH JNB 2130 0515+1 0 19JUN05 23OCT05 332 14:
29 Billy: The largest Asian market in ATH is the Philippino ship crew market. Both SQ and TG used to depend on this traffic for their ATH services.
Sponsor Message: 
From Bermuda, joined Sep 2004, 3267 posts, 
From Tanzania, joined Dec 2004, 247 posts, 
From Australia, joined Jul 1999, 1518 posts, 
From Canada, joined Jan 2004, 2103 posts, 
From Ireland, joined Aug 2004, 5286 posts, 
From Greece, joined Jul 2004, 122 posts, 
From Serbia, joined Jul 2000, 3229 posts, 
From Andorra, joined Oct 2004, 584 posts, 
.
From United Kingdom, joined May 2004, 6189 posts, 
From , joined Dec 1969, posts, 
From Botswana, joined Sep 2004, 368 posts, 
From Belgium, joined Aug 2003, 3304 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
