RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta and United have clearly found a market moving cargo through the pandemic, so it isn’t an appeals-to-apples comparison, but when United are flying double daily 77Ws while Qantas are three-weekly 787s, Qantas have really screwed themselves with their lethargic return to service. There’s no excuse for not having 10 787s ready to go, and all the A330s should be free as well as they are doing bugger all Perth flying.

QF have 11 789s all in service, weather they can crew them all at once is another thing. They do run several freight flights ex BNE/MEL-LAX as well as how many SYD-LAX. Also planning to bring the 3 789s in storage forward. Not sure how many A330s are still parked but pretty sure most are in service doing freight runs.

EK413 wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta and United have clearly found a market moving cargo through the pandemic, so it isn’t an appeals-to-apples comparison, but when United are flying double daily 77Ws while Qantas are three-weekly 787s, Qantas have really screwed themselves with their lethargic return to service. There’s no excuse for not having 10 787s ready to go, and all the A330s should be free as well as they are doing bugger all Perth flying.

Haven’t QF brought forward or attempting to bring forward the delivery of the 3 x B789’s parked at VCV?


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Wasn’t aware of any new B787 production issues?
I do recall the PAE production line was shutdown during the peak of the pandemic and all B787 production moved to CHS.


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RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta and United have clearly found a market moving cargo through the pandemic, so it isn’t an appeals-to-apples comparison, but when United are flying double daily 77Ws while Qantas are three-weekly 787s, Qantas have really screwed themselves with their lethargic return to service. There’s no excuse for not having 10 787s ready to go, and all the A330s should be free as well as they are doing bugger all Perth flying.

I think DL and UA have much stronger freight businesses on the US side that push freight to Australia and make their freight business far easier than QF's. So i think there could be valid reasons for the service patterns we have seen.

Skys around Sydney and Melbourne feeling a bit busier today! Great to see!

Great to see a JQ 787 back on revenue service as JQ512 between Melbourne and Sydney. QF have also had a 787 on the route today.

qf2220 wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta and United have clearly found a market moving cargo through the pandemic, so it isn’t an appeals-to-apples comparison, but when United are flying double daily 77Ws while Qantas are three-weekly 787s, Qantas have really screwed themselves with their lethargic return to service. There’s no excuse for not having 10 787s ready to go, and all the A330s should be free as well as they are doing bugger all Perth flying.

I think DL and UA have much stronger freight businesses on the US side that push freight to Australia and make their freight business far easier than QF's. So i think there could be valid reasons for the service patterns we have seen.

Qantas has two B747-8 freighters operated by Atlas Air for them that carry a lot of freight between Australia and the US. That does the brunt of the work for them and the 787s supplement that. UA and DL don't have any freighter capacity, so yes, they're far more dependent on passenger aircraft to carry that cargo.

evanb wrote:

qf2220 wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta and United have clearly found a market moving cargo through the pandemic, so it isn’t an appeals-to-apples comparison, but when United are flying double daily 77Ws while Qantas are three-weekly 787s, Qantas have really screwed themselves with their lethargic return to service. There’s no excuse for not having 10 787s ready to go, and all the A330s should be free as well as they are doing bugger all Perth flying.

I think DL and UA have much stronger freight businesses on the US side that push freight to Australia and make their freight business far easier than QF's. So i think there could be valid reasons for the service patterns we have seen.

Qantas has two B747-8 freighters operated by Atlas Air for them that carry a lot of freight between Australia and the US. That does the brunt of the work for them and the 787s supplement that. UA and DL don't have any freighter capacity, so yes, they're far more dependent on passenger aircraft to carry that cargo.

Also a good point. Those QF freighters probably havent stopped in nearly 2 years.

evanb wrote:

Qantas has two B747-8 freighters operated by Atlas Air for them that carry a lot of freight between Australia and the US. That does the brunt of the work for them and the 787s supplement that. UA and DL don't have any freighter capacity, so yes, they're far more dependent on passenger aircraft to carry that cargo.

QF has always had me perplexed when it comes to their freight business. Do they not actively chase a large volume of freight business? By way of comparison SQ has been running non stop with multiple frequencies per day to multiple cites in Australia even during the height of the pandemic predominately hauling freight. The same could be said of EK, QR, CX and even NZ.
It felt like QF 'scuppered' their wide bodies away for the last 18 months whilst everyone else actively chased (more) freight business to utilise their expensive assets?

Velocity7 wrote:

evanb wrote:

Qantas has two B747-8 freighters operated by Atlas Air for them that carry a lot of freight between Australia and the US. That does the brunt of the work for them and the 787s supplement that. UA and DL don't have any freighter capacity, so yes, they're far more dependent on passenger aircraft to carry that cargo.

QF has always had me perplexed when it comes to their freight business. Do they not actively chase a large volume of freight business? By way of comparison SQ has been running non stop with multiple frequencies per day to multiple cites in Australia even during the height of the pandemic predominately hauling freight. The same could be said of EK, QR, CX and even NZ.
It felt like QF 'scuppered' their wide bodies away for the last 18 months whilst everyone else actively chased (more) freight business to utilise their expensive assets?

They have a decent freight business. Two B747-8s (we leased), a B767-300ER and a sizable number of narrowbodies. But yes, it doesn't have the same scale that SQ has due to SIN's position as a major cargo hub and QF being more of an end of line carrier. By way of comparison, the last full year pre-pandemic, freight accounted for 5.4% of revenue at the group level, albeit a lot of that was domestic. SQ on the other hand, it was 12.2%. Comparing to BA and NZ (maybe a better comparisons), shows that cargo accounted for 5.3% and 6.7%. QR, CX and EK on the other hand was 20%, 22% and 14%. It's not that they don't actively chase it, it's rather that the business model just isn't aligned to it.

In terms of what happened during the pandemic? QF grew freight revenue by 36%. So they certainly have not ignored it.

Velocity7 wrote:

evanb wrote:

Qantas has two B747-8 freighters operated by Atlas Air for them that carry a lot of freight between Australia and the US. That does the brunt of the work for them and the 787s supplement that. UA and DL don't have any freighter capacity, so yes, they're far more dependent on passenger aircraft to carry that cargo.

QF has always had me perplexed when it comes to their freight business. Do they not actively chase a large volume of freight business? By way of comparison SQ has been running non stop with multiple frequencies per day to multiple cites in Australia even during the height of the pandemic predominately hauling freight. The same could be said of EK, QR, CX and even NZ.
It felt like QF 'scuppered' their wide bodies away for the last 18 months whilst everyone else actively chased (more) freight business to utilise their expensive assets?

Re EK, QR, CX and SQ in particular, they have significant freight operations separate from their pax business, and also operate huge freight hubs at their home airports. So the comparison with QF is a little moot as QF is more an end-of-line carrier transporting freight to and from Australia predominantly, while for the others it is an important spoke in a global network and supports connectivity across a global customer base. Would they not run these AU freight services then this would have wider ramifications across their global networks. So running these services supports the viability of other services from their hubs into Asia, Europe, Americas etc. That’s at least how I make sense of it, I don’t have any industry insights.

Velocity7 wrote:

evanb wrote:

Qantas has two B747-8 freighters operated by Atlas Air for them that carry a lot of freight between Australia and the US. That does the brunt of the work for them and the 787s supplement that. UA and DL don't have any freighter capacity, so yes, they're far more dependent on passenger aircraft to carry that cargo.

QF has always had me perplexed when it comes to their freight business. Do they not actively chase a large volume of freight business? By way of comparison SQ has been running non stop with multiple frequencies per day to multiple cites in Australia even during the height of the pandemic predominately hauling freight. The same could be said of EK, QR, CX and even NZ.
It felt like QF 'scuppered' their wide bodies away for the last 18 months whilst everyone else actively chased (more) freight business to utilise their expensive assets?

QF have operated quite a few A330 freight flights during the pandemic. Jetstar have also recently started taking over some of those freight routes ie Asia/NZ.

Velocity7 wrote:

evanb wrote:

Qantas has two B747-8 freighters operated by Atlas Air for them that carry a lot of freight between Australia and the US. That does the brunt of the work for them and the 787s supplement that. UA and DL don't have any freighter capacity, so yes, they're far more dependent on passenger aircraft to carry that cargo.

QF has always had me perplexed when it comes to their freight business. Do they not actively chase a large volume of freight business? By way of comparison SQ has been running non stop with multiple frequencies per day to multiple cites in Australia even during the height of the pandemic predominately hauling freight. The same could be said of EK, QR, CX and even NZ.
It felt like QF 'scuppered' their wide bodies away for the last 18 months whilst everyone else actively chased (more) freight business to utilise their expensive assets?

Off the top of my head, QF have operated cargo flights, mostly with 330's to PVG/NRT/BKK/AKL/CHC from SYD. There have been flights from BNE to HKG/NRT/AKL, from MEL to HKG/SIN/BKK/AKL and from PER to SIN. The frequencies vary, but the SYD/PVG and MEL/HKG have been basically daily.

The 767F has been working flat out the whole time. It gets up to HKG from SYD at least 4 to 5 times a week, mostly through DRW, but CNS also sees it. They still manage to get it over the Tasman a few times a week doing SYD/AKL/CHC/SYD, when it doesn't operate, they send a 330 on the run.

The 2 Atlas 747's, seem to get supplemented with an additional 744 on at least 1 extra flight a week, sometimes 2. Their routing from the States to SYD/MEL, then outbound through China or Bangkok and China. QF have full freight rights out of China and will go load up and fly to the U.S.A. usually full. The China/U.S.A. routings would be the lucrative part of the operation.

More recently we've seen more flights to and from the U.S with the return of the 789 and they were being used mostly for their freight capacity until the recent opening of N.S.W and Victoria.

Rex follows the launch off MEL-BNE flights with SYD-BNE flights starting Dec20, says it'll have a B737 base at BNE and also looking at more QLD destinations

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news ... y-brisbane

With VA opting to (wisely) remain short haul international only for the foreseeable future, do we see room for a new entrant on the MEL/BNE - US routes.
MEL will be QF & UA only, BNE will be QF only with NZ will pick up some one stop traffic on both of these.

Wondering if DL would consider their position on these routes (even at 3-4 weekly).

Obzerva wrote:

With VA opting to (wisely) remain short haul international only for the foreseeable future, do we see room for a new entrant on the MEL/BNE - US routes.
MEL will be QF & UA only, BNE will be QF only with NZ will pick up some one stop traffic on both of these.

Wondering if DL would consider their position on these routes (even at 3-4 weekly).

Will really depend on how quickly things go in terms of the recovery in demand, but it would have to be something DL will look at.

As AA will be working with QF on their network offering, they will also likely be in the mix.

Pre-Covid, flying via AKL was certainly a good option, but will be interesting to see how compelling a 1-stop option is in the medium term, given any additional steps and requirements that may be in place.

Without knowing lots of detail, and hypothesising based on what I see, might QF's freight business be like its passenger business? Focussed on premium Australian freight and not going for the lower yield (aside from the belly space which is somewhat of a byproduct and takes what it can get on most routes).

Obzerva wrote:

With VA opting to (wisely) remain short haul international only for the foreseeable future, do we see room for a new entrant on the MEL/BNE - US routes.
MEL will be QF & UA only, BNE will be QF only with NZ will pick up some one stop traffic on both of these.

Wondering if DL would consider their position on these routes (even at 3-4 weekly).

Delta have a fairly small long haul fleet, especially now they’ve retired the 777s. Maybe we could see something seasonal for southern summer, which is off season for Europe, but otherwise I don’t see much from them.

I will be interested to see what United do, especially for summer 2022/23 and beyond. As they are better placed than Delta are to grow long haul, and are already very established in the market.

Interesting proposal from Avalon Airport to build a new terminal on the western side of the Geelong Freeway with a direct link to a new station on the Melbourne - Geelong rail line. Pax would then be transferred to the aircraft via a bus link presumably under the freeway. It is early proposals but Geelong is the home of a number of marginal seats that have received largesse from both parties so state government support is as likely as not. It would make AVV a much more viable alternative particularly as it would mean it has a direct rail link a number of yers before MEL is likely to get theirs.
https://www.railpage.com.au/news/s/bold-plans-to-move-avalon-airport-to-railway-line

I think BNE-USA non-stop has room for at least one competitor in the medium term.

The question is whether if any of either UA/DL enter BNE and if it's UA doing SFO-BNE or DL doing LAX-BNE.

Keeping in mind UA's LAX 'hub' is very much a domestic 'focus city' those days with their primary focus on their SFO hub, whilst SFO is only 'a station' for DL and the likely hood of DL doing P2P out of SFO would pretty much be minimal to none.

SCFlyer wrote:

I think BNE-USA non-stop has room for at least one competitor in the medium term.

The question is whether if any of either UA/DL enter BNE and if it's UA doing SFO-BNE or DL doing LAX-BNE.

Keeping in mind UA's LAX 'hub' is very much a domestic 'focus city' those days with their primary focus on their SFO hub, whilst SFO is only 'a station' for DL and the likely hood of DL doing P2P out of SFO would pretty much be minimal to none.

Zero chance of DL flying ex-SFO, and if United launch BNE it would likely be from LAX, same as how they launched LAX-MEL years before SFO-MEL. While UA is bigger at SFO than LAX, they can still hit all of the major connecting markets through LAX and take advantage of the much larger O&D market.

As an aside, could the A330neo make LAX-BNE? If so I feel that makes it more likely that Delta would consider it in the future.

tullamarine wrote:

Interesting proposal from Avalon Airport to build a new terminal on the western side of the Geelong Freeway with a direct link to a new station on the Melbourne - Geelong rail line. Pax would then be transferred to the aircraft via a bus link presumably under the freeway. It is early proposals but Geelong is the home of a number of marginal seats that have received largesse from both parties so state government support is as likely as not. It would make AVV a much more viable alternative particularly as it would mean it has a direct rail link a number of yers before MEL is likely to get theirs.
https://www.railpage.com.au/news/s/bold-plans-to-move-avalon-airport-to-railway-line

Interesting. The new station would be straight forward be built, being on the exiting Geelong line, but sounds like the new terminal might be a while off from reading the article. Would be good if they manage to pull it off. Remember this time 2 years ago, MEL was bursting at the seams, so AVV will need to boost it's capacity eventually. The new terminal would go a fair way to banishing the 'LCC central/cheap & cheerful' tag, but most ops would still be LCC I'd think.

RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta have a fairly small long haul fleet, especially now they’ve retired the 777s. Maybe we could see something seasonal for southern summer, which is off season for Europe, but otherwise I don’t see much from them.

I will be interested to see what United do, especially for summer 2022/23 and beyond. As they are better placed than Delta are to grow long haul, and are already very established in the market.

DL have 22 A350s with another 22 on order, 53 A330s with 26 more on order and 62 B767s. They have a substantial longhaul fleet, with plenty of ability to expand in Australia if they so wish. However, I wouldn't expect them to. Their network just isn't as well suited to Australian routes compared to their competitors. Their west coast hubs (LAX and SEA) don't have the scale and diversity of connections that UA have at SFO and LAX, or QF/AA/AS have LAX, SFO and DFW. It might be different if DL could get into MSP, possibly from BNE, but the lack of any basic O&D might undermine it.

VA has released formal details of the new interior that has been installed as prototypes on 2 of the new ex-SQ 738s. It seems that there is no intention to retrofit this interior to existing fleet and prototype is more for what they do with future additions.
https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/virgin-australia-unveils-interior-design-prototype-future

tullamarine wrote:

VA has released formal details of the new interior that has been installed as prototypes on 2 of the new ex-SQ 738s. It seems that there is no intention to retrofit this interior to existing fleet and prototype is more for what they do with future additions.
https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/virgin-australia-unveils-interior-design-prototype-future

You mean tiktok wasn't a formal press release?

CraigAnderson wrote:

Rex follows the launch off MEL-BNE flights with SYD-BNE flights starting Dec20, says it'll have a B737 base at BNE and also looking at more QLD destinations

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news ... y-brisbane

Interesting choice given travellers will also need to fork out $150 for a PCR test to get into QLD which must have an impact on demand.

anstar wrote:

CraigAnderson wrote:

Rex follows the launch off MEL-BNE flights with SYD-BNE flights starting Dec20, says it'll have a B737 base at BNE and also looking at more QLD destinations

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news ... y-brisbane

Interesting choice given travellers will also need to fork out $150 for a PCR test to get into QLD which must have an impact on demand.

I was just reading that PCR tests vary from $150 to $300 depending on whom you use and how rapidly you require a result.

Unfortunately the article doesn’t indicate what the flight schedule is. I hate to use the word “assume”, so could we expect it to be a AM peak, PM peak and possibly a midday flight?

As per the article, "Brisbane is a key gateway for Rex and will very quickly become the launchpad for further forays into the Queensland market in the months and years ahead," predicts Rex Deputy Chairman John Sharp.

So I am curious what their focus may be. The obvious ones that stand out from my general understanding are CNS and TSV. I was thinking perhaps that HTI could be a seasonable addition?

Cheers.

Etihad Engineering was awarded a contract by Virgin Australia for heavy maintenance on 30 B737 aircraft.

https://www.aviationbusinessnews.com/mr ... -contract/

Seems like a long way to go for overhauls.

mercure1 wrote:

Etihad Engineering was awarded a contract by Virgin Australia for heavy maintenance on 30 B737 aircraft.

https://www.aviationbusinessnews.com/mr ... -contract/

Seems like a long way to go for overhauls.

VA will have included the logistical costs involved as part of their decision so obviously Etihad offered the best overall cost and engineering solution compared with other bidders.

Am I right in saying heavy maintenance for VA 737s was previously contracted to Air New Zealand's Christchurch facility?

tullamarine wrote:

mercure1 wrote:

Etihad Engineering was awarded a contract by Virgin Australia for heavy maintenance on 30 B737 aircraft.

https://www.aviationbusinessnews.com/mr ... -contract/

Seems like a long way to go for overhauls.

VA will have included the logistical costs involved as part of their decision so obviously Etihad offered the best overall cost and engineering solution compared with other bidders.

Am I right in saying heavy maintenance for VA 737s was previously contracted to Air New Zealand's Christchurch facility?

A C-check could cost between US$500,000 and US$1,000,000, a D-check double that. Spending US$30,000 to US$40,000 to get the aircraft there and back is not insignificant, but can certainly be offset by a better deal on the price of the C/D checks. Furthermore, it might not just be around price, but capacity, turnaround times and guarantees. Having an aircraft out of service for too long, or at the wrong time, could cost Virgin a lot more.

anstar wrote:

CraigAnderson wrote:

Rex follows the launch off MEL-BNE flights with SYD-BNE flights starting Dec20, says it'll have a B737 base at BNE and also looking at more QLD destinations

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news ... y-brisbane

Interesting choice given travellers will also need to fork out $150 for a PCR test to get into QLD which must have an impact on demand.

Correct me if im wrong but after 17 December isnt it a requirement to only have a negative test within 3 days of arriving? Those tests are at the moment free?

qf2220 wrote:

anstar wrote:

CraigAnderson wrote:

Rex follows the launch off MEL-BNE flights with SYD-BNE flights starting Dec20, says it'll have a B737 base at BNE and also looking at more QLD destinations

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news ... y-brisbane

Interesting choice given travellers will also need to fork out $150 for a PCR test to get into QLD which must have an impact on demand.

Correct me if im wrong but after 17 December isnt it a requirement to only have a negative test within 3 days of arriving? Those tests are at the moment free?

Technically you can only have a free (Medicare rebated) test if you have symptoms or are a contact etc. If you are being tested for travel purposes you should pay. In reality you’d probably just say you have a sniffle or a headache and are being tested out of an abundance of caution!

RyanairGuru wrote:

qf2220 wrote:

anstar wrote:

Interesting choice given travellers will also need to fork out $150 for a PCR test to get into QLD which must have an impact on demand.

Correct me if im wrong but after 17 December isnt it a requirement to only have a negative test within 3 days of arriving? Those tests are at the moment free?

Technically you can only have a free (Medicare rebated) test if you have symptoms or are a contact etc. If you are being tested for travel purposes you should pay. In reality you’d probably just say you have a sniffle or a headache and are being tested out of an abundance of caution!

I was reading that currently they won't accept the free test, it is a requirement that it is done in a private lab, as per international travel requirements.

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-u ... 33e78b266c

Today’s QF15 BNE-LAX being operated on VHEBQ.

Flight QF15 from Brisbane to Los Angeles
https://fr24.com/QFA15/29e5bf8f




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aschachter wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

qf2220 wrote:

Correct me if im wrong but after 17 December isnt it a requirement to only have a negative test within 3 days of arriving? Those tests are at the moment free?

Technically you can only have a free (Medicare rebated) test if you have symptoms or are a contact etc. If you are being tested for travel purposes you should pay. In reality you’d probably just say you have a sniffle or a headache and are being tested out of an abundance of caution!

I was reading that currently they won't accept the free test, it is a requirement that it is done in a private lab, as per international travel requirements.

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-u ... 33e78b266c

Bloody ridiculous if you ask me, considering we’ve been relying heavily on the current COVID testing system throughout the pandemic…

What are they claiming the tests are not adequate?


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aschachter wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

qf2220 wrote:

Correct me if im wrong but after 17 December isnt it a requirement to only have a negative test within 3 days of arriving? Those tests are at the moment free?

Technically you can only have a free (Medicare rebated) test if you have symptoms or are a contact etc. If you are being tested for travel purposes you should pay. In reality you’d probably just say you have a sniffle or a headache and are being tested out of an abundance of caution!

I was reading that currently they won't accept the free test, it is a requirement that it is done in a private lab, as per international travel requirements.

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-u ... 33e78b266c

I think that is technically correct. What I'm not sure of is whether you have to actually send your results from your test on arrival home to anyone and whether you will be followed up or if it is not really policed. If it is not sent anywhere, I wonder what the point is.

EK413 wrote:

Today’s QF15 BNE-LAX being operated on VHEBQ.

Flight QF15 from Brisbane to Los Angeles
https://fr24.com/QFA15/29e5bf8f




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is it carrying pax or only freight? Has EBQ had a bump in MTOW ? The A330s are cleared for 180mins of ETDO which is fine for LAX/SFO flights.

EK413 wrote:

aschachter wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

Technically you can only have a free (Medicare rebated) test if you have symptoms or are a contact etc. If you are being tested for travel purposes you should pay. In reality you’d probably just say you have a sniffle or a headache and are being tested out of an abundance of caution!

I was reading that currently they won't accept the free test, it is a requirement that it is done in a private lab, as per international travel requirements.

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-u ... 33e78b266c

Bloody ridiculous if you ask me, considering we’ve been relying heavily on the current COVID testing system throughout the pandemic…

What are they claiming the tests are not adequate?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's not the adequacy, it is that the government pay the path lab $85 for these free tests and Medicare does not cover tests for travel purposes.

jrfspa320 wrote:

EK413 wrote:

Today’s QF15 BNE-LAX being operated on VHEBQ.

Flight QF15 from Brisbane to Los Angeles
https://fr24.com/QFA15/29e5bf8f




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is it carrying pax or only freight? Has EBQ had a bump in MTOW ?

Unsure if it has been bumped but if it has it wasn't done in AUH as it hasn't been there. EBM was there I think though it is unclear why but was assumed that this was for the MTOW increase.

evanb wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta have a fairly small long haul fleet, especially now they’ve retired the 777s. Maybe we could see something seasonal for southern summer, which is off season for Europe, but otherwise I don’t see much from them.

I will be interested to see what United do, especially for summer 2022/23 and beyond. As they are better placed than Delta are to grow long haul, and are already very established in the market.

DL have 22 A350s with another 22 on order, 53 A330s with 26 more on order and 62 B767s. They have a substantial longhaul fleet, with plenty of ability to expand in Australia if they so wish. However, I wouldn't expect them to. Their network just isn't as well suited to Australian routes compared to their competitors. Their west coast hubs (LAX and SEA) don't have the scale and diversity of connections that UA have at SFO and LAX, or QF/AA/AS have LAX, SFO and DFW. It might be different if DL could get into MSP, possibly from BNE, but the lack of any basic O&D might undermine it.

The number of 767s and A330s is irrelevant to this conversation, other than for HNL-SYD/MEL/BNE, but they do have a lot more A350s, in service and on order, than I realised. The A330neo could be an option as well, at least to BNE (and AKL for that matter).

While Delta clearly have a large wide body fleet, their fleet capable of flying 14 hours is nonetheless relatively small compared to United and American, which was the point I was making. United have 127 77E/77W/788/789 and American have 111 of the same types. Both United and American currently have more of both 777s and 787s than Delta will have A350s once they are all are delivered.

RyanairGuru wrote:

evanb wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta have a fairly small long haul fleet, especially now they’ve retired the 777s. Maybe we could see something seasonal for southern summer, which is off season for Europe, but otherwise I don’t see much from them.

I will be interested to see what United do, especially for summer 2022/23 and beyond. As they are better placed than Delta are to grow long haul, and are already very established in the market.

DL have 22 A350s with another 22 on order, 53 A330s with 26 more on order and 62 B767s. They have a substantial longhaul fleet, with plenty of ability to expand in Australia if they so wish. However, I wouldn't expect them to. Their network just isn't as well suited to Australian routes compared to their competitors. Their west coast hubs (LAX and SEA) don't have the scale and diversity of connections that UA have at SFO and LAX, or QF/AA/AS have LAX, SFO and DFW. It might be different if DL could get into MSP, possibly from BNE, but the lack of any basic O&D might undermine it.

The number of 767s and A330s is irrelevant to this conversation, other than for HNL-SYD/MEL/BNE, but they do have a lot more A350s, in service and on order, than I realised. The A330neo could be an option as well, at least to BNE (and AKL for that matter).

While Delta clearly have a large wide body fleet, their fleet capable of flying 14 hours is nonetheless relatively small compared to United and American, which was the point I was making. United have 127 77E/77W/788/789 and American have 111 of the same types. Both United and American currently have more of both 777s and 787s than Delta will have A350s once they are all are delivered. In fact even Air Canada, with a total fleet size less than one-fifth the size of Delta’s, has more aircraft capable of flying non-stop to Australia (AC have 61 77L, 77W, 788, 789)

RyanairGuru wrote:

evanb wrote:

RyanairGuru wrote:

Delta have a fairly small long haul fleet, especially now they’ve retired the 777s. Maybe we could see something seasonal for southern summer, which is off season for Europe, but otherwise I don’t see much from them.

I will be interested to see what United do, especially for summer 2022/23 and beyond. As they are better placed than Delta are to grow long haul, and are already very established in the market.

DL have 22 A350s with another 22 on order, 53 A330s with 26 more on order and 62 B767s. They have a substantial longhaul fleet, with plenty of ability to expand in Australia if they so wish. However, I wouldn't expect them to. Their network just isn't as well suited to Australian routes compared to their competitors. Their west coast hubs (LAX and SEA) don't have the scale and diversity of connections that UA have at SFO and LAX, or QF/AA/AS have LAX, SFO and DFW. It might be different if DL could get into MSP, possibly from BNE, but the lack of any basic O&D might undermine it.

The number of 767s and A330s is irrelevant to this conversation, other than for HNL-SYD/MEL/BNE, but they do have a lot more A350s, in service and on order, than I realised. The A330neo could be an option as well, at least to BNE (and AKL for that matter).

While Delta clearly have a large wide body fleet, their fleet capable of flying 14 hours is nonetheless relatively small compared to United and American, which was the point I was making. United have 127 77E/77W/788/789 and American have 111 of the same types. Both United and American currently have more of both 777s and 787s than Delta will have A350s once they are all are delivered.

Whilst DL may nominally have the fleet to operate more AU services, I tend to believe they do not see services to Australasia as really core and, were it not for their alliance with VA, they may have already gone. Their main long-haul destinations are trans-Atlantic and North Asia. They ae particularly strong in the latter as a result of their takeover of NW. They are also very strong into Europe and operate a mini-hub in AMS connecting with Skyteam partner KLM.

jrfspa320 wrote:

EK413 wrote:

Today’s QF15 BNE-LAX being operated on VHEBQ.

Flight QF15 from Brisbane to Los Angeles
https://fr24.com/QFA15/29e5bf8f




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Is it carrying pax or only freight? Has EBQ had a bump in MTOW ? The A330s are cleared for 180mins of ETDO which is fine for LAX/SFO flights.

Freighter & not sure whether or not -EBQ had the MTOW increased.

The A330 which underwent mx is -EBM.

tullamarine wrote:

EK413 wrote:

aschachter wrote:

I was reading that currently they won't accept the free test, it is a requirement that it is done in a private lab, as per international travel requirements.

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-u ... 33e78b266c

Bloody ridiculous if you ask me, considering we’ve been relying heavily on the current COVID testing system throughout the pandemic…

What are they claiming the tests are not adequate?

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It's not the adequacy, it is that the government pay the path lab $85 for these free tests and Medicare does not cover tests for travel purposes.

Haven’t been tested in several weeks, has the free testing ended? Plus don’t follow the news sick tired of the garbage daily case counts.


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RyanairGuru wrote:

The number of 767s and A330s is irrelevant to this conversation, other than for HNL-SYD/MEL/BNE, but they do have a lot more A350s, in service and on order, than I realised. The A330neo could be an option as well, at least to BNE (and AKL for that matter).

While Delta clearly have a large wide body fleet, their fleet capable of flying 14 hours is nonetheless relatively small compared to United and American, which was the point I was making. United have 127 77E/77W/788/789 and American have 111 of the same types. Both United and American currently have more of both 777s and 787s than Delta will have A350s once they are all are delivered.

I think it's very relevant. When DL are flying A350s on DTW-AMS, ATL-AMS and ATL-CDG it's very relevant. Those routes could easily be covered by A330s. There is a significant degree of fungibility in the fleet. Furthermore, they have been picked up a bunch of second hand A350s (I think it's up to 9) over the last year or two. The fleet isn't inherently the constraint, it's more likely network and strategy that will be the constraint for DL.

qf789 wrote:

Virgin has announced today they have signed a LOI for 7 more 737’s, this is on top of the 9 737’s announced in August, once all delivered total fleet of 737’s will be 84

https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/re ... -re-launch

Anyone know where these are coming from? Assume the Silk Air tails were in the last release.

Tdan wrote:

qf789 wrote:

Virgin has announced today they have signed a LOI for 7 more 737’s, this is on top of the 9 737’s announced in August, once all delivered total fleet of 737’s will be 84

https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/re ... -re-launch

Anyone know where these are coming from? Assume the Silk Air tails were in the last release.

This is great news for VA which obviously believes it can continue to grow. It is good that after the past 20 months, being positive actually means something good.

qf789 wrote:

Virgin has announced today they have signed a LOI for 7 more 737’s, this is on top of the 9 737’s announced in August, once all delivered total fleet of 737’s will be 84

https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/re ... -re-launch

7x 738s seem amount the right amount to restart the Tasman services in 2022 (hopefully), since they have announced there intend to resume short-haul international.

Of the top of head, pre-covid the Tasman/Pacific Island services from New Zealand used approx 9 aircraft.

I’m interested to see how VA 2.0 will make Tasman work, from an operational point going forward. In March 2020 they made all the New Zealand based crew redundant.

To get the best use of the aircraft eg two return Tasman sectors in an day. You ideally need for the aircraft to start its day in New Zealand (unless you want to offer overnight flights arriving at 5am).

With using New Zealand based crew, that is going to add additional operating expenses with overnighting crew in New Zealand. Compare to the typical Tasman roster on the Tasman with NZ/QF/JQ we’re you 95% of the time you end up back in your old bed.