Check here before booking an award fare. Whether Dresden winds down over January or not, most of Australia does. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. American, United and Delta are consistent for their inconsistencies. Airlines; Airports; Hotels; Lounges; Frequent Flyer; Reward Programs; Technology; Motoring; Other; Reviews. They have facilities for maintenance, storage and scrapping. I don't agree with the less than authentic Australian feel - I must say that whenever I was returning from a tedious business trip I really looked forward to my champers in the Qantas business class J - Felt I was on my way home! 787 and 330 into Asia much better. and A330 aircraft without adequate crew rests. As noted, we can be pretty certain VH-OQI will be the next refurbished A380 followed by VH-OQL. Granted, Qantas new Economy is kinda luxurious but Thompson Vantage XL? third 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. Well send you an email to re-activate your account and enter a new password. The first of the airline's 12 A380s will enter maintenance next month and is set to return to the skies in September. Additional employees and aircraft on standby to reduce disruptions. Had choose it this time to use up my $450 Amex credit. we are flying Singapore to London in October on an A380 and hopefully it's with the new business suite. Qantas might like to keep them flying over the busy periods. However, you might assume the two would come from the half dozen older yet-to-be refurbished planes. Absolutely no way of climbing over. There are two maintenance facilities being used for refurbishments, including one in Abu Dhabi. We'll see Qantas' final eight A380s re-enter the fleet by the end of 2020. 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. Qantas' A380 business-class cabin currently features a 2-2-2 layout. Qantas loyalty bonus: should you choose points or status? Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. The summer school holidays are in full swing and the. By subscribing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement. Same with QF, as soon as you board it feels Australian. All the A380s will return . I'm sorry ladies, the uniforms makes you look tired soccer moms. To me, the customer it means I as a Singaporean, feel special. See also: Qantas unveils replica Boeing 747-200 first class lounge in a museum. From far they look like Cathay Dragon and Turkish Airlines or a red Lufthansa. Two more refurbed A380s have recently come out of storage from Victorville to be used on QF1/2 from 19th June. See also: Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX battle for billion-dollar Qantas order. Currently, Qantas has been operating its A380 fleet on services between Sydney and Los Angeles, offering only Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabins. However OQG as mentioned already has been refurbished and so have OQI and OQD. Manufacture/ Distribution of the vaccine worldwide, time related just as I'm sure a priority list will be established. Thats directed our strategy by saying that we park the A380s.. 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. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas' entire fleet of twelve A380s? Qantas expects two more refurbished A380s to be flying be the end of 2019. The airline notes that it expects to have a further two of the remaining 11 unrefurbished aircraft done and flying by the end of 2019. 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. multiple take-off and landings from Sydney Airport. below, then click 'Submit'. I thought they were only using the ones that had the makeover? Stay informed:Sign up for ourdailyandweeklyaviation news digests. If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. I loved the so-called Emerald City at the front of the upper deck. Just so quiet and smooth. Meanwhile, Qantas has pushed back its planned return to higher-risk destinations, such as Bali, Bangkok, Manila, and Johannesburg, until April 2022. For the time being, the aircraft will remain parked until such time as demand signals that its the right moment for them to return. That would be 5 with new fit out. Can I say I never liked Qantas safety video. Already have an ET account? We can account for three of the twelve A380s. 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. Joyce, however, remained optimistic that rapid vaccination rollouts in the USA and UK both of which are key markets for Qantas would help the airline restart regularly scheduled international flights by the end of the year. Over Wednesday and Thursday, VH-OQB operated four flights over Sydney, each of approximately one hour's duration. I think Qantas is pretty good. Qantas haven't updated their seat maps for a while so they only show OQH OQK and OQK on their seat map. Qantas A380s serve Los Angeles (LAX) and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) in the US, as well as other destinations in the carrier's network. However, you might assume the two would come from the half dozen older yet-to-be refurbished planes. But I am concerned that Qantas' shine as Australia's flag carrier may not resonate with a product that doesn't look decent enough to compete with others. Just be happy our airline didnt fold during covid and have to get aircraft that spent two years in the desert in airworthy condition. one upper OQJ is now back in the country operating QF93. The Qantas operation across the Pacific right now is a mess. Keep it simple, a la Delta, and speak with that cheerful accent that communicates Australia to one and all. That will include international - in what ever form it takes. Please Alan - bring back the refurbed A380. Talking point: have you given up on airport WiFi? A Qantas A380, VH-OQA, departs from Melbourne Airport. And beyond that, trying to figure out the refurbishment schedule and which plane is going where is speculation and not particularly useful. In some circles, shadows of doubt were cast over whether the type would ever return to the Australian airline at all. However, "the A380s haveto remain on the ground for at least three years until we see those international volumes brought back," Joyce said. Qantas reactivated another A380 in early November. We all know that Qantas is kicking off its A380 refurbishment with the first upgraded A380 to fly in September, see https://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-a380-refurbishment. Good luck to him. It's especially noticeable around the knees actually. This week Qantas launched flights between Brisbane and Tokyo Haneda, and will launch flights between Melbourne and Dallas this weekend (December 3), as well as flights between Sydney and Seoul on December 10. Find the right card for you. To be frank, I should have saved the points. Initially Qantas won't be selling first class on the A380, but rather will be seating top tier . Once demand is there, theyre going to be good aircraft, Joyce told a CAPA Live virtual conference last Wednesday. The new interiors, complete with a stunning new first class cabin, had been fitted to just six of the 12 aircraft, amid plans to operate the type for at least 10 more years. They don't look like kangarros to me. Excellent. You can scrap them at Alice Springs as well. 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 has announced it will return five of its 12 Airbus A380s to service ahead of schedule, as it prepares for international borders to re-open in December. The final section of the new all-premium upper deck will feature 60 premium-economy seats. Well send you an email containing the activation link. ", 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.". The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. And for those looking to read the tea leaves as to how long the A380s might continue to fly for Qantas, Executive Traveler writes that the refurbishment "points to the spruced-up superjumbos flying through to the end of the next decade," at the least. Log in below. A degree of common sense and seasonality makes approximating the delivery schedule roughly feasible, but trying to establish the sequence of aircraft being refurbished is a fools errand. 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. Qantas can hype up the 787 and even the A350 all they want but they need to realise neither will ever be the A380. The biggest overhaul is slated for the business-class product, which will be replaced with the same Business Suite that Qantas currently offers on its Dreamliner flights. I saw QF29 flying into Hong Kong yesterday, the usual A330. 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. Such sad news. Username or email already exists! After all, with the DFW-SYD A380 service pre-COVID19, it was de-rigeur to block >100 seats during much of the year due to weather. 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. I would have thought storing them in Alice would be better than flying to California to store them. Can anyone clarify if it is the newest 6 that are refurbed or a mix?..if its a mix doesn't make sense they'd refurb the older iterations as I understand some had issues. 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.. My favourite aircraft as a long haul passenger. Some lucky Platinum One members have been offered an 'upgrade' to the First Suites, but the service has been at a Business level. Staff and onlookers swarmed Sydney Airport for their first glimpse of the superjumbo. 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. case letter, and one special character. Sharp-eyed flyers reckon they had the next refurbished A380 nailed. It was the last A380 Qantas received. Its also worth noting that time of the year is one of the busiest times for international flights in and out of Australia. A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans. But if you consider the flat bed space - the four probably take the space of twenty seats (2 rows) down stairs. OQH is in Abu Dhabi doing its C check and will be back soon and OQG is in the Los Angeles hanger ready to come home. 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. ", 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.". 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. VH-OQB was one of just two of Qantas 12 A380s that werent sent into storage at the notorious Victorville boneyard in the California desert, the other being VH-OQD. The CEO added that the airline won't dedicate the spruced-up aircraft to one . We'll see Qantas' final eight A380s re-enter the fleet by the end of 2020. There is a trip report by VolvoMike on Flyertalk stating he flew a non-refurbished A380 in F on Qantas on 2/5/22. Suggesting I and L are marked as the probably next to be upgraded. Those seats are 11A, 11E, 11F, 11K, 16A, 16K, 17E and 17F. Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Qantas to mothball all Airbus A380s until at least 2023, Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). Watch on. third Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, is calling the process a , . parties. Qantas are not mucking around getting these A380 back. Here are the best watches of the year: should you care? They'd spotted this plane doing some laps over Los Angeles in the runup to Saturday's transpacific flight. 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. There's nothing much wrong with the new Qantas premium economy seats, apart from that oddball 'cradle' arrangement for the legrest and footrest. Give me the A380 anytime over 787 when in economy though. What's wrong with the new seats? 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. 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. Please include the Ray ID (which is at the bottom of this error page). Great to see the A380s will be flying again. PrimeFlight GSE Maintenance is a leading provider of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) maintenance, fleet maintenance, and facility maintenance services with operations across the US. I concur that I will always choose Emirates over Qantas if they have the A380 in service and Qantas does not(of course on QF paper). By the end of this upgrade, well have next-generation seating across our entire long-haul fleet of A380s, A330s and 787s.. News. Qantas A380 to fly to LAX as of January 2022. Cathay Pacific reopens Hong Kongs The Wing Business lounge, Land up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys new transfer promo. We spent a lot of money on them. 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. Log in below. It's not known which two A380s will not return to service. We spent a lot of money on them Once demand is there, they're going to be good aircraft, get back in the air and we can cope with this lower demand environment with some time by just parking them and using the 787 system.. Beyond that, it gets trickier. The oldest Qantas A380 is VH-OQANancy Bird Walton, which arrived at Qantas in September 2008. Qantas noted that it takes about eight weeks to refurbish each A380. Because in aviation, situational awareness is everything. Qantas most on-time major domestic airline for seven months in a row. 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. Earlier, in February, the Qantas chief executive said that it was heartbreaking to see the fleet stored in the Mojave Desert and insisted that curfews and expensive airport slots meant flying them will still be profitable. More bums on seats equal more dollars in Qantas pockets. oqh, oqj and oqk sorry. The only criticism I've heard is that they're squashed together although I suspect this will be dependent on the specific aircraft and, considering how much criticism QF have received, they'll probably spread them out a little. If your email is already registered you will have provided it to us previously for one of our events/webcasts/newsletters. If youve forgotten your password, simply enter your email address Meanwhile, Qantas will take delivery of three new 787-9 Dreamliners that have remained undelivered and stored with Boeing during FY23, while Jetstar will welcome its first three A321neo LR aircraft also from FY23. If it's BOEING 737 Max I suggest you will have the entire plane to yourself. It's completely free and we'll never pass your information on to Required fields are marked *. On a long red-eye flight, I had to wake my aisle neighbour twice during the night. The iconic jumbos were due for retirement by the end of 2020 in favour of new Boeing 787 Dreamliners, but that timetable has been brought forward six months, with the last red-tailed Boeing 747 departing Sydney at the end of June, bound for Mojave's aviation 'boneyard'. Seat map. Maybe if London and LA aren't in a position to get QF A380 operations, Tokyo will be. I can see myself waiting until I can travel on the A380 again (preferrably Qantas but, if not, Emirates, Qatar or Etihad). It actually feels very authentic to me, faults and "she'll be right' attitude and all. You're out of free articles for this month. You will be redirected to update payment method page. 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. Whats the chances of VH-OQA being donated to a worthy Australian Air Museum? That plane is followed by a Qantas Dreamliner - both bound for Sydney. Haven't flown on Qantas for donkey's years and not really looking forward to it. No major loss in Business. Worse for those pax who are not native English speakers. Which is the best Star Alliance lounge at Sydney Airport? Qantas has outlined its plans for the upcoming peak summer holiday period, including new and resumed routes, and the rostering of larger aircraft. Ansett Australia's uniform fully embued Australia too. David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis. VH-OQB Hudson Fysh made a splashy return home and has been busy operating familiarization flights over Sydney for out-of-practice A380 crews. And its all going to be about cash when we start up international [flights].. Which is the best Star Alliance lounge at Sydney Airport? When flights to London eventually resume, those are expected to run only on the Qantas Boeing 787 between Perth and London, with Singapore downgraded to an end-destination served by Airbus A330s and Boeing 787s. all rights reserved, China issues report that Boeing sees as key to restart 737 MAX deliveries, ANA sells tickets up to 20 times cheaper due to an error in its website, Avolon completes delivery of 15 Airbus A320neo to Vistara, Boeing says 11 Chinese airlines have resumed operating 737 MAX. 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. Because there's more to long term storage than what you mentioned. Therell be more than a few passengers booked on QF2 around that date keeping an eye on the seat plan. Qantas might like to keep them flying over the busy periods. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. I don't understand why Jetstar branding and uniform comes 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 . So much space. Your complete guide to Singapore Airlines WiFi, Tips to top up your energy levels on the road, Five things to look for when buying headphones for running, Gyms closed: Schwarzenegger shares his home workout tips, Get into the holiday swing at Australias top golf resorts, Thailand wants visitors to quarantine at golf resorts, Nine new golf courses you'll want to visit in 2020, Tuscany uncorked: Inside the wine regions renaissance, Bottle shock for wine lovers as Delta moves to canned wine. Despite the nay-sayers alluding to 'no business', there is an acknowledged high backlog of travel demand which even Alan Joyce admits. However, the return of Hudson Fysh suggests at least one of the oldest Qantas A380s has a future at the airline. There's plenty of dry flat land, a railway and a major highway at the front door, plenty of vacant accommodation, an airport with flights to Adelaide every few hours just 70km away, a dry climate and most importantly, plenty of security. What will happen to the first lounges I wonder. Travel onboard the A380 is just so superior to alternatives and I will be now be looking at Emirates for our regular trips to Switzerland & UK particularly as EK will be introducing PE next year. To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, become a member today. Got a points upgrade from Economy aisle to premium economy window. Qantas has told Simple Flying that they expect to refurbish the remaining 11 aircraft by the end of 2020. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you 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. Most regular Qantas A380 passengers would recognise that an update is needed. See also: Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX battle for billion-dollar Qantas order. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter to get the latest premium travel news, exclusives and inspiration right to your inbox. third It's all about survival for Qantas but the A380 is/was simply unsurpassed experience wise. The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. Whereas VH-OQD is refurbished with the latest top-notch Qantas cabin product, VH-OQB is not. Economy aisle would have been better. Both Lufthansa and Qatar Airways will keep their A380s in long term storage for the foreseeable future and might not ever fly the planes again. Further, whilst Australians have been compliant in lockdown for the past 3 months, I doubt strongly that those same people will sit back and accept no international service from QF for the next 12 months when competitors are to be flying from October / November this year. parties. The flights put crews and the aircraft through it their paces. Qantas doesn't fly at all between Melbourne and Dallas. 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. For consistent product you have to fly Delta or United. The desert is the ideal location for Qantas A380s because the dry environment protects the aircraft from the damaging effects that humidity can wreak on a grounded plane. When Qantas began ferrying its 12 A380s to the Mojave Desert for storage last June, many thought it would be the last time wed see the type fly for the Australian airline. There is an issue between Cloudflare's cache and your origin web server. If anyone knows, please let me know when VH-OQK is ready to do the Melb to Dallas run. Its also worth noting that time of the year is one of the busiest times for international flights in and out of Australia. Eagle-eyed planespotters were anticipating the return to service of the second Qantas A380. Actually my gripe about the current 100 years celebration version of the inflight safety video is that the background music soundtrack is so loud that I have difficulty catching what was being said if I don't already know the content and the subtitles on display (in some versions).
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