parties. Two more refurbed A380s have recently come out of storage from Victorville to be used on . 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. Got a points upgrade from Economy aisle to premium economy window. Good luck to him. During conference, Joyce confirmed that Qantas still plans to resume international flights beyond New Zealand from October, despite delays of Australias vaccination rollout which is seen as key to easing travel restrictions. On Tuesday, October 2, 2019, it flew from Heathrow to Dresden as QF6005. 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. More bums on seats equal more dollars in Qantas pockets. Just keeping my fingers crossed that I don't get the refurbed plane with the new awful PE seats. There's a new premium economy seat product in the upgraded A380, which first debuted on Qantas' Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Qantas A380s serve Los Angeles (LAX) and Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) in the US, as well as other destinations in the carrier's network. What's wrong with the new seats? See also: Qantas unveils replica Boeing 747-200 first class lounge in a museum. And its all going to be about cash when we start up international [flights].. The schedule hasn't yet been updated to reflect this, but it should be updated shortly. 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.. 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. NSW has been hitting over 1000 infections a day with multiple deaths most days and hundreds in hospital. 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. Australia has the population of Beijing. Well send you an email containing the activation link. My problem is that Qantas seriously tries too hard to be Australian when it comes off as unauthentic. It actually feels very authentic to me, faults and "she'll be right' attitude and all. It's all about survival for Qantas but the A380 is/was simply unsurpassed experience wise. Compare travel credit cards with Executive Traveller. That would be 5 with new fit out. Cathay Pacific reopens Hong Kongs The Wing Business lounge, Land up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys new transfer promo. I get butterflies when United's vid flashes a moment of Singapore's skyline. Like the business suites, these products will also feature seats currently used in Qantas' Dreamliners premium-economy section. Why send the fleet to the Mohave? Compare a range of products that will provide rewards and benefits to frequent flyers. Products with rewards and frequent flyer points on offer can be compared using our helpful comparison tables. Worse for those pax who are not native English speakers. The 12 A380-800s in Qantas' fleet will undergo refurbishments through . If your email is already registered you will have provided it to us previously for one of our events/webcasts/newsletters. Login here. We now have even more details from Executive Traveler on the rollout of the new interiors. 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'? "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.". 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. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas entire fleet of twelve A380s? Log in below. Manufacture/ Distribution of the vaccine worldwide, time related just as I'm sure a priority list will be established. 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".. Scuttlebutt several days ago was that it would be VH-OQL, named Phyllis Arnott. 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. But if you consider the flat bed space - the four probably take the space of twenty seats (2 rows) down stairs. The superjumbo had covered 7,641 miles (12,297 kilometers) on this flight. Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Qantas is bringing back the Airbus A380 and soon. The new design, with cafe-style seating and tables, appears better suited for conversation and collaboration than the current single row of benches offered on A380 flights. Check here before booking an award fare. Absolutely. Qantas A380 to fly to LAX as of January 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. We have reconfigured six of them with brand new product onboards. Qantas can hype up the 787 and even the A350 all they want but they need to realise neither will ever be the A380. However, you might assume the two would come from the half dozen older yet-to-be refurbished planes. Alan Joyce, the chief executive of Qantas remains confident that the Airbus A380 superjumbo will remain an integral part of the airlines aircraft fleet even as other airlines jettison the double-deck planes. Based in the United Kingdom. And beyond that, trying to figure out the refurbishment schedule and which plane is going where is speculation and not particularly useful. Just be happy our airline didnt fold during covid and have to get aircraft that spent two years in the desert in airworthy condition. Factoring in the eight week refurbishment time frame, might we see the refurbished A380 VH-OQL, in the air around November 30, 2019? It's especially noticeable around the knees actually. Scuttlebutt several days ago was that it would be VH-OQL, named. However, "the A380s haveto remain on the ground for at least three years until we see those international volumes brought back," Joyce said. What will happen to the first lounges I wonder. VH-OQB Hudson Fysh made a splashy return home and has been busy operating familiarization flights over Sydney for out-of-practice A380 crews. Qantas are not mucking around getting these A380 back. Login now. Required fields are marked *. But we do think if you look at the Qantas network, there are going to be opportunities to deploy those aircraft. 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. 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. Not to mention the actual volume of space in your "single" seat - storage, proper table, excellent TV, ideal controls etc. In short, about another year. A Qantas A380, VH-OQA, departs from Melbourne Airport. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. And we do believe that it will generate cash. He commented, We think we will reactivate all of the A380s. On refurbished A380 aircraft, the Premium Economy cabin has 60 seats in a 2-3-2 layout. Qantas Airbus A380 refurbishment schedule - Executive Traveller community discussion. I really think the designers were friggin lazy. In basic economy, travelers can expect new seat cushions and improved inflight entertainment. The A380 is far more spacious and comfortable to fly in than the squeezy Boeing 787 nightmare plane, but it's the now-departed Boeing 747, yes, Queen of the Sky, that had most comfort. Therell be more than a few passengers booked on QF2 around that date keeping an eye on the seat plan. Almost 3500 additional operational employees employed since Easter 2022 to support increased travel. And its not just the revenue potential from the premium seats that makes the 787 attractive to Joyce. . ", 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 credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. This means there will no longer be a first class product on Qantas until 2023. From far they look like Cathay Dragon and Turkish Airlines or a red Lufthansa. With about five weeks to go, VH-OQI should be the next refurbished A380 set to fly around the end of October. Its also worth noting that time of the year is one of the busiest times for international flights in and out of Australia. From personal experience, they don't. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit, Executive Traveler (formerly Australian Business Traveler), Business Suite that Qantas currently offers on its Dreamliner flights, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. It is too Australian, for customers who are primarily not actually Australian. That plane is followed by a Qantas Dreamliner - both bound for Sydney. Get unlimited news articles and more by creating a free account, Passwords must have at least 10 characters, one number, one lower and 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. The CEO added that the airline won't dedicate the spruced-up aircraft to one . Old unrefurbished A380, last minute schedule changes (a friends LA-SYD was retime to 0930!!) Back in October, Australian airline Qantas announced it would undertake a massive project to refit its fleet of 12 Airbus A380 jumbo jets with new interiors. The fate of the second six will hinge on the projected recovery for Qantas' flagship routes to London and the US, and the outcome of a sweeping review of the airline's entire international fleet to reshape it around post-coronavirus travel demand. 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. My focus has changed a bit I guess now concentrating on leisure rather than business travel. Qantas Airbus A380 Premium Economy Seat Overview - Australian Frequent Flyer Qantas Airbus A380 Premium Economy Seat Overview Qantas A380 Premium Economy. Because there's more to long term storage than what you mentioned. There are two maintenance facilities being used for refurbishments, including one in Abu Dhabi. Theyre directed towards the big premium market. Seat cushions will be replaced to be more comfortable and video screens will be swapped for a larger display. United are flying 787s with 2-2-2 business seating as well. Already have an Executive Traveller account? Cathay Pacific reopens Hong Kongs The Wing Business lounge, Land up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys new transfer promo. 2011 Aviacin al Da. Username or email already exists! Please Alan - bring back the refurbed A380. 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. 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. Six still sport previous generation cabins. Sorry about the rant but Qantas needs to free itself from its traditions and brand itself better. So it looks like the newer units got the upgrade. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. Plataforma Informativa de Aviacin Comercial lder en Amrica Latina. Talking point: have you given up on airport WiFi? And we think that's sufficient to make good money and the economics work on that business.. Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). Absolutely idea. "We're parking the A380sfor at least three years," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce confirmed to media during a press teleconference following the announcement of a sweepingthree-year 'post-Covid recovery plan'. 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. It is not that significant. Updates to the first-class product include material changes to modernize the look of the suites. The staff are magnificent, the food spectacular, the comfort superb. interact with our community. To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. You're out of free articles for this month. I would have thought storing them in Alice would be better than flying to California to store them. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you All A380s to LAX refurbished?? 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. 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. He said, They have the most premium seats of any aircraft we have. 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. Go figure. It's not known which two A380s will not return to service. 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. Until that time arrives, Qantas' fleet of 12 Airbus A380's are currently sitting in long-term storage in the Mojave desert where they are likely to remain until 2024 when Joyce hopes travel demand will have returned to pre-pandemic levels. You don't need to CGI stuff and try to show parts of Australia so desperately. Well send you an email to re-activate your account and enter a new password. Qantas might like to keep them flying over the busy periods. As some other commentators had said in previous forums, the video is more about making us feel good about ourselves but does nothing to attract or gain loyalty with overseas clients, of which those from Asia will prefer Asian based airlines on the basis of in flight service rather than just being patriotic to their own homegrown airlines. I have to say that I loved flying the Qantas A380 for many years primarily to Europe via LHR with the occasional trip to USA. In terms of the A380, the forecast is still that demand will not pick up enough to sustain the superjumbo until around 2024. below, then click 'Submit'. SQ is very Singaporean, from the moment you arrive at the gate for a SQ flight you feel that. Etihad Airways has also said it will likely never fly the A380 again, while Singapore Airlines will retire seven of its A380s. Thank you so much Qantas, Alan and staff. This is in competition with QSuites, SQ fugly but okay "lar" seats, EK pastel but at least bed is comfortable All this dark coloring is not seen in good light by Asian customers who, if Qantas wakes up, is actually their biggest customers. Then transit SIN, enroute Europe, including maybe some new ports there. 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. Its also worth noting that time of the year is one of the busiest times for international flights in and out of Australia. 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, https://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-a380-refurbishment. It was the last A380 Qantas received. Some lucky Platinum One members have been offered an 'upgrade' to the First Suites, but the service has been at a Business level. We'll see Qantas' final eight A380s re-enter the fleet by the end of 2020. are 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.". PrimeFlight GSE Maintenance is a leading provider of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) maintenance, fleet maintenance, and facility maintenance services with operations across the US. Here are the best watches of the year: should you care? 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. The only aircraft for me for Melbourne to London.Superior in every way . The A380 takes off right at the end of the footage. 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. 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. Thankfully the remainder of my journey to Europe is on Singapore in PE and home on Qatar in Business. The seat itself may be great, but that doesn't mean much if passengers are lacking sufficient room to effectively experience it shame Qantas hasn't listened (at least as far as we know). The last of Qantas A380s flew to the desert last September after completing a multi-million-dollar retrofit in Dresden, Germany. These photos show the oversized 'foot nook' for seats in the A380's two bulkhead rows, those being rows 11 and 16/17. Qantas has a full refurbishment on offer for the A380, including the updated 14-seat first class cabin that it has decided to keep downstairs on the double-decker, rather than replacing it with an upstairs cabin and new seats. interact with our community. Along with booth seating and a large flat screen TV, comes the all important self-serve mini bar. Over the weekend, VH-OQD Fergus McMaster made the journey from storage in California to Sydney, landing back home on Monday morning local time. The flights typically comprise a loop out southwest towards the Wingecarribee area before turning back towards Sydney, running out over the Royal National Park, and going out to sea before heading back into the airport. case letter, and one special character. I loved the so-called Emerald City at the front of the upper deck. Just so quiet and smooth. I don't understand why Jetstar branding and uniform comes off as so much more Australian and classier. 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. 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. Had choose it this time to use up my $450 Amex credit. 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. It's scheduled to fly tonight from London to Singapore, and the seatmap reflects that (here's the business class seatmap, showing the new 1-2-1 configuration, compared to the old 2-2-2 configuration). Alan Joyce says the mighty superjumbo is likely to stay grounded "for at least three years.". By subscribing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Already have an ET account? OQJ is now back in the country operating QF93. The carrier and its subsidiary Jetstar expect to carry more than eight million customers over the next two months, highlighting particularly strong leisure demand. The airline has a total of ten A380s in its fleet, four of which remain in storage. However, the return of Hudson Fysh suggests at least one of the oldest Qantas A380s has a future at the airline. Qantas has told Simple Flying that they expect to refurbish the remaining 11 aircraft by the end of 2020. Your email address will not be published. The prospect of flying overseas might feel a long way off, especially in New South Wales and Victoria in lockdown, but the current pace of the vaccine rollout means we should have a lot more freedom in a few months time, said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce. Both were instead grounded at Qantas purpose-built A380 hangar at LAX. In total, Qantas expects 10 of its 12 A380s to be back to performing regularly scheduled services by early 2024, while the remaining two are to be retired. Maybe operating QF2 out of Heathrow that evening? 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. 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. Absolutely no way of climbing over. at least with the 6 refurbished examples. Watch on. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. By the end of this upgrade, well have next-generation seating across our entire long-haul fleet of A380s, A330s and 787s.. First Refurbished Qantas A380 Now Flying The first Qantas A380 with enter service today. Already have an ET account? Keep it simple, a la Delta, and speak with that cheerful accent that communicates Australia to one and all. See also: Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX battle for billion-dollar Qantas order. VH-OQB will depart Sydney and operate QF11 to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. All the A380s will return . VH-OQD departed Los Angeles mid-evening on Saturday for the 14 hour plus flight down to Sydney. If it's BOEING 737 Max I suggest you will have the entire plane to yourself. They'd spotted this plane doing some laps over Los Angeles in the runup to Saturday's transpacific flight. The carrier has refurbished three. Qantas has been planning this refurbishment for a couple of years. The 3 years that Joyce is suggesting possibly worst case scenario however I would anticipate March 2022, Services like SYD-LAX, BNE- LAX and SYD-DFW to return to around 70% of pre-avoidablevirus numbers. All 10 returning A380s will have their interiors refurbished prior to their return to service. You can scrap them at Alice Springs as well. Andrew is based in Sydney. Maybe one a month would take us through most of 2020 and allow the airline to draw a line under it towards the end of the year. English. Six still sport previous generation cabins. Here are the best watches of the year: should you care? "We're parking the A380s for at least three years," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce confirmed to media during a press teleconference following the announcement of a sweeping three-year 'post-Covid recovery . 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. It operated QF1 from Sydney to Heathrow, departing Sunday, September 30, 2019, and arriving into Heathrow the next day. below, then click 'Submit'. Additional troubleshooting resources. Whether Dresden winds down over January or not, most of Australia does. What Alan Joyce needs to be aware of is a bill making passage through the US Congress which sets out specific and enforceable issues for safe distancing within aircraft flying into, throough and out of US air space. The cost of flying the A380s to Mohave compared with ASP is relatively minuscule given the overall cost to the business of parking them for three years. WA is going to miss out millions of $ in tourism, but McGowan thinks he makes plenty of money anyway from iron ore, which the Chinese no longer want to buy. Click to reveal 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. 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. View the Airbus A380 seat map (PDF) 14 First, 70 Business, 60 Premium Economy and 341 Economy seats. Qantas most on-time major domestic airline for seven months in a row. 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. If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. The airline has already refurbished six; VH-OQD, VH-OQG, VH-OQH, VH-OQI, VH-OQJ, and QH-OQK. The thrice-weekly service departs Sydney as flight . Operating at some of the country's busiest airports, we are dedicated to supporting the daily operational performance of airlines and service providers across our . Beyond that, it gets trickier. By the weekend, the tempo of flying was really picking up. Sharp-eyed flyers reckon they had the next refurbished A380 nailed. Thats directed our strategy by saying that we park the A380s.. See also: Airbus A320neo, Boeing 737 MAX battle for billion-dollar Qantas order. In short, about another year. I suspect that they will be back within 18 months at the very latest. That's the level of flexibility we have.. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Qantas expects two more refurbished A380s to be flying be the end of 2019. Resend one to yourself here. Qantas is keeping mum. Great to see the A380s will be flying again. With the pandemic eating into that time, it remains to be seen whether Qantas will continue with the expensive refresh on the other A380s in the fleet. 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. Loved by Emirates By far. Meanwhile Jetstar will begin flights with three new A321 neo aircraft in the coming weeks, initially on domestic services and its routes between Australia and Bali.
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