Qantas' Impending Change to Tokyo Flight Schedule

[DC3]

Crickets

 

[markis10]

With the issues with A330 engine availability and now the Finnair wet leases, I am not surprised at the lack of any announcement with the benefit of hindsight. The changes are looking like a thought bubble.

 

[elanshin]

With the issues with A330 engine availability and now the Finnair wet leases, I am not surprised at the lack of any announcement with the benefit of hindsight. The changes are looking like a thought bubble.

But there's only so much they can hold out for and apply for extensions. Completely possible Australia loses the slots to other countries the next time Japan looks at the slots again (although who knows with the current world trajectory).

 

[justinbrett]

With the issues with A330 engine availability and now the Finnair wet leases, I am not surprised at the lack of any announcement with the benefit of hindsight. The changes are looking like a thought bubble.

They're still flying 3x daily to TYO. Whilst they might not be able to implement their complex 3 way dovetailed schedule, it would be relatively simple to move over MEL or BNE-NRT, with enough notice (yes there will be changes to handling contracts etc but that was always going to be required).

But there's only so much they can hold out for and apply for extensions. Completely possible Australia loses the slots to other countries the next time Japan looks at the slots again (although who knows with the current world trajectory).

I think there will be a fair bit of leeway from the Japanese side considering the slots were awarded right at the end of the NS25 coordination period, meaning QF was pretty much picking from crumbs for its services. It should have more success for the NW25/26 schedule. As for ISAC considering there's no other airline they'll extend for however long is required.

 

[Himeno]

But there's only so much they can hold out for and apply for extensions. Completely possible Australia loses the slots to other countries the next time Japan looks at the slots again (although who knows with the current world trajectory).

Has Japan ever completely revoked HND long haul slots from a given country? They have taken back some of the US night slots, then gave them more day slots then the night slots they took back (returned 3 night slots for 12 day slots IIRC).

 

[Harrison_133]

An extension has been granted by IASC.

Capacity needs to be utilised by 30 November 2025.

Qantas cited "operational requirements" as the reason for the extension.

Source: https://www.iasc.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/-2025-iasc-r02.pdf

 

[moa999]

Will we get another 15 pages of discussion before November?

 

[Aeryn]

I'm very happy that my crack of dawn day time flight from HND to SYD in a few weeks is remaining as is so that I arrive in Australia the same day I left without any overnight or need to take another days leave.

If in future I need to return to Japan and the day flight becomes HND-BNE then Id book that. If all day flight options disappear then unless I can snag business award seats Id be looking to route home via other countries to avoid an over night in economy if possible, understanding there are very few day flights from Asia which is IMO a real pity.

 

[NSun]

I'm very happy that my crack of dawn day time flight from HND to SYD in a few weeks is remaining as is so that I arrive in Australia the same day I left without any overnight or need to take another days leave.

If in future I need to return to Japan and the day flight becomes HND-BNE then Id book that. If all day flight options disappear then unless I can snag business award seats Id be looking to route home via other countries to avoid an over night in economy if possible, understanding there are very few day flights from Asia which is IMO a real pity.

I'm booked on QF26 in late August. I much prefer daytime flights to overnights, but I do concede everyone may prefer otherwise. I could sleep on an overnight flight, but maybe I just prefer to take any day time flight home from Asia because there are so few, especially run by Qantas.

 

[markis10]

I'm booked on QF26 in late August. I much prefer daytime flights to overnights, but I do concede everyone may prefer otherwise. I could sleep on an overnight flight, but maybe I just prefer to take any day time flight home from Asia because there are so few, especially run by Qantas.

It’s a sentiment I hear all the time being expressed, however it’s not popular in practice apparently. A colleague and myself did HND-SYD on a Wednesday in August last year and there was probably more crew than pax on the plane, speaking to the crew this was not unusual. Presumably people would prefer to save the hotel cost and arrive with a full day ahead, I rarely sleep on planes so it’s usually zombie time for me on arrival.



I felt sorry for the exit row pax, if they paid they got poor value with plenty of 4 seats free in the middle.

 

[Himeno]

It’s a sentiment I hear all the time being expressed, however it’s not popular in practice apparently. A colleague and myself did HND-SYD on a Wednesday in August last year and there was probably more crew than pax on the plane, speaking to the crew this was not unusual. Presumably people would prefer to save the hotel cost and arrive with a full day ahead, I rarely sleep on planes so it’s usually zombie time for me on arrival.

Of course, how much of that is the needed early morning arrival at HND for the morning flight (more so when it is the 650ish departure) vs not liking day flights?
Plenty of people get the day flights out of Australia to Asia, why would a day flight back be any different?

 

[markis10]

Of course, how much of that is the needed early morning arrival at HND for the morning flight (more so when it is the 650ish departure) vs not liking day flights?

Not sure, my numerous MU flights that leave at a similar time from CAN have been full. Luckily being BNE based I do have a few day options from Asia incl HKG, SIN and DPS which depart later in the day.

 

[NSun]

It’s a sentiment I hear all the time being expressed, however it’s not popular in practice apparently. A colleague and myself did HND-SYD on a Wednesday in August last year and there was probably more crew than pax on the plane, speaking to the crew this was not unusual. Presumably people would prefer to save the hotel cost and arrive with a full day ahead, I rarely sleep on planes so it’s usually zombie time for me on arrival.

I felt sorry for the exit row pax, if they paid they got poor value with plenty of 4 seats free in the middle.

I have heard that day time loads on HND-SYD haven't been great, although I do wonder if the same is is true of QF59 - the day time flight up. Maybe QF26 has low patronage just because it is harder for anyone with onward domestic connections to book QF26 - there wouldn't be too many options without spending an extra night in Sydney and so likely wouldn't show up as a booking option given the long connection time unless people booked it deliberately as a multi-city stopover. And perhaps is the intended pivot to Brisbane for the morning flight out because it would get in about 5pm (IIRC) and there would be plenty of domestic connection options.

The only time I've ever done a daytime flight home from Asia is Thai Bangkok to Sydney (which I did in October last year) and the flight was nearly full then. Then again, maybe the majority of passengers had a separate domestic connection and/or were terminating in Sydney.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I have heard that day time loads on HND-SYD haven't been great, although I do wonder if the same is is true of QF59 - the day time flight up. Maybe QF26 has low patronage just because it is harder for anyone with onward domestic connections to book QF26 - there wouldn't be too many options without spending an extra night in Sydney and so likely wouldn't show up as a booking option given the long connection time unless people booked it deliberately as a multi-city stopover. And perhaps is the intended pivot to Brisbane for the morning flight out because it would get in about 5pm (IIRC) and there would be plenty of domestic connection options.

The only time I've ever done a daytime flight home from Asia is Thai Bangkok to Sydney (which I did in October last year) and the flight was nearly full then. Then again, maybe the majority of passengers had a separate domestic connection and/or were terminating in Sydney.

There are possible connections to MEL, BNE, CBR ADL, DRW. Covering the main ones to be fair.

 

[elanshin]

There are possible connections to MEL, BNE, CBR ADL, DRW. Covering the main ones to be fair.

Its relatively tight for most of those and any delays on the way means missing the flights.

 

[Brucetiki]

We looked at the daytime HND-SYD flight (to then connect to ADL). We weighed up the pros and cons of it, and while yes, getting the flights all done in one day was very attractive, the red eye flight out of HND (meaning we'd need to be up from about 3:00am anyway) saw us opt for the overnight NRT-MEL flight (to then connect to ADL).

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Its relatively tight for most of those and any delays on the way means missing the flights.

Define tight? It arrives at 1800.

 

[Brucetiki]

Define tight? It arrives at 1800.

By the time you deal with passport control, picking up your luggage, customs/quarantine etc, and then connect on to the domestic flight, you're looking at around 1.5-2 hours to transfer (last time I did this it took 2 hours from the moment we stepped off the inbound flight to setting foot in T3).

If you're going to somewhere like ADL, the last flight of the day leaves around 8:30ish. That means even a 30 minute delay on the inbound flight could jeopardise your chances of getting that connection. Though you can also speed up the transfer (for a price) by taking the train between terminals.

 

[markis10]

By the time you deal with passport control, picking up your luggage, customs/quarantine etc, and then connect on to the domestic flight, you're looking at around 1.5-2 hours to transfer (last time I did this it took 2 hours from the moment we stepped off the inbound flight to setting foot in T3).

If you're going to somewhere like ADL, the last flight of the day leaves around 8:30ish. That means even a 30 minute delay on the inbound flight could jeopardise your chances of getting that connection. Though you can also speed up the transfer (for a price) by taking the train between terminals.

It won’t take 2 hours to transfer at that time of night, real world experience we were delayed an hour on arrival due to storms and my travelling partner who was connecting to ADL still got 30 mins in the lounge. Flight was held due to delays and everyone made it.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Did this flight last week when it arrived at 1900 and was in domestic terminal within 30 minutes of disembarking. That is a very simple connection to all of the places I listed above.