A seven-hour scenic flight around Australia ?

[AustraliaPoochie]

It might be a flight to no where, but
a.you get to feel the 787 if you have not flown it before
b.you get only 150 people on board
c.you get your kicks of feeling the airport sensation again, then the gate, then getting on the plane, sitting down, buckling the seat belt, waiting for the noises, hearing "the final doors are now closed, cabin crew please prepare the cabin for departure", then engine start, then pushback, then the slight nudge as the tug is released, and then the moving of the plane as it weaves its way to the right taxi way, then runway, then take off...
d.you get to hear all the noises on the flight, sensation of the veering turns
e.meal or no meal
f.readying the cabin for landing
g.yada yada yada
For $787 in Y, it does have its kick.
O, and did I mention the sensation of going through dom security screening, and "forgetting" you had that 2nd phone in your pocket...?, thus having to take it out and go back for screening a 2nd time...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

For $787 in Y, it does have its kick.

I think it's a fair price given the limited number of seats they are selling (works out to about a SYD/MEL-SIN return in economy, doubled to account for the spare seats).

It's a trip I would consider because I haven't seen any of the things they intend to fly over.

 

[Danger]

The power of QF marketing never ceases to amaze. An incredibly strong brand.

Indeed. One wonders what the interest level would have been if Virgin did exactly the same thing. It's another study in marketing.

Scored 2 tickets in Y, had a window seat, then thought I was selecting the 2nd seat on the isle. But no, it moved my window seat to isle, by the time I realised (trying to do things so quickly) ended up with us both on the isle 52 & 53.
Surprise trip for hubby, booked 2 nights at Hyatt to make a weekend of it.

If you're still going to the Hyatt, this may interest you: Free - Two Hyatt Club access vouchers.

Are they going to play Talking Heads "Road to Nowhere" during the safety demonstration?

Maybe Qantas can commission one of the Australian youth choirs to do a special 'Plane to nowhere' piece.

Selling out in 10 mins..... I’ll doubt this will be the one and only flight like this .
This idea got me daydreaming..... I can imagine a similiar flight 7+ hour flight time ex MEL : flying over Wilson’s Prom, King Islsnd, down the tassie Coast to Bruny island, across the west side of Tassie to Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers NP , travelling west to Kangaroo island, then potentially up to Uluru + Kata Tjuka then back over Mildura and Bendigo, could even finish it off with a visit over the Victorian Alps. Pipe dreams like this are great in whilst in lockdown

All sounds great ... except for the part where you land in Melbourne.

 

[dajop]

This idea got me daydreaming..... I can imagine a similiar flight 7+ hour flight time ex MEL : flying over Wilson’s Prom, King Islsnd, down the tassie Coast to Bruny island, across the west side of Tassie to Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers NP , travelling west to Kangaroo island, then potentially up to Uluru + Kata Tjuka then back over Mildura and Bendigo, could even finish it off with a visit over the Victorian Alps. Pipe dreams like this are great in whilst in lockdown

Maybe they could do a much shorter 1-1.5hr flights in a Dash 8 . Just head down the bay and down to the Prom, across to Cape Otway and back along the Great Ocean Road. People may scoff at the idea of a Dash 8, but for sightseeing, IME can't beat a small prop.

 

[harvyk]

Maybe they could do a much shorter 1-1.5hr flights in a Dash 8 . Just head down the bay and down to the Prom, across to Cape Otway and back along the Great Ocean Road. People may scoff at the idea of a Dash 8, but for sightseeing, IME can't beat a small prop.

They did a Dash 8 joyfight about 8 years ago.

It was a CBR-CBR which flew from CBR to the coast, followed the coast line from Wollongong down to the Batemans Bay and then came back to CBR. Took about 1.5 hours, cost $75 (from memory). This was in the afternoon after the CBR airport open day. So they do have form with doing such things.

 

[dajop]

Interestingly, over on Flyertalk, there's an article I've just noticed (in the FT news section) about SQ looking at such flights (3hr flights), and it's met with absolute derision. But presumably from US based contributors who've made suggestions such as " Why not give me a super cheap fare to where I want to go? You don’t eliminate your losses but you cut them. ", or " But consider instead giving people travel vouchers with the same value, allowing them to obtain tickets to places they really want or need to go. ". These people have no idea what's going in the rest of the world, and the fact that people simply can't go to "where they want to go" (or if they do, face a hefty quarantine bill on return).

 

[p--and--t]

Interestingly, over on Flyertalk, there's an article I've just noticed (in the FT news section) about SQ looking at such flights (3hr flights), and it's met with absolute derision. But presumably from US based contributors who've made suggestions such as " Why not give me a super cheap fare to where I want to go? You don’t eliminate your losses but you cut them. ", or " But consider instead giving people travel vouchers with the same value, allowing them to obtain tickets to places they really want or need to go. ". These people have no idea what's going in the rest of the world, and the fact that people simply can't go to "where they want to go" (or if they do, face a hefty quarantine bill on return).

There is an unsurprising depth of niavety and ignorance/lack of worldliness that enamates from some very opinionated citizens of some nations.

 

[dajop]

There is an unsurprising depth of niavety and ignorance/lack of worldliness that enamates from some very opinionated citizens of some nations.

For a moment of digression ..... to be fair, most people do not have a need to be "wordly" or an interest to know what is happening elsewhere, and I have no issue with that. But those actively participating in frequent flyer type communities, are not "most people", and by their very presence in such communities means they have an interest in flying and travel ....I would expect them to have a bit better idea of what is going on in the world of travel.

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

Maybe they could do a much shorter 1-1.5hr flights in a Dash 8 . Just head down the bay and down to the Prom, across to Cape Otway and back along the Great Ocean Road. People may scoff at the idea of a Dash 8, but for sightseeing, IME can't beat a small prop.

Great Idea, not too sure how profitable that would be due to the lack of seats onboard a dash-8 , but great creative thinking nonetheless.

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

[/QUOTE]


All sounds great ... except for the part where you land in Melbourne.
[/QUOTE]

For a laugh the plane could land in Brisbane, which would throw a few people in a spin

 

[flyingfan]

Kudos to QF for planning this and selling it out. Started me thinking about my dream Aust itinerary, although distances in between the highlights are a bit of a bugger. Imagine if you could take in FNQ, Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, the main eastern capitals, peaks and Tasmania's national parks (sorry not sure what's good from the air in WA), and in between get a proper (not NP) tasting menu or First lounge massage / facial in J

 

[Pushka]

I think any business that is trying desperately to keep staff and staying afloat in a creative way deserves

 

[33kft]

Interestingly, over on Flyertalk, there's an article I've just noticed (in the FT news section) about SQ looking at such flights (3hr flights), and it's met with absolute derision.

There is one key difference. The SIA article is about a proposed flight that really is to nowhere in that the entire description is centered around the ticketing, boarding, takeoff and landing without a single word on any sightseeing or even a potential flight path. To some degree I think people are posting derisive comments about the pointlessness of it all (you turn up at an airport, check in and wait, board, sit for 3 hours while you circle and land). Maybe that isn't the plan at all, but a lack of front-footed SIA marketing on this makes it sound this way.

In reality these are both the same idea but the drab description of the SIA flight vs the QF lounge, itinerary and sightseeing, make it seem like a different proposition.

To be fair I would be interested in both... but alas I'm not even allowed to go for a drive. BUT to the point raised above about the magic of QF marketing - it is only those airlines who can pull it off who are going to find revenue opportunities while borders are closed.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

It might be a flight to no where, but
a.you get to feel the 787 if you have not flown it before
b.you get only 150 people on board
c.you get your kicks of feeling the airport sensation again, then the gate, then getting on the plane, sitting down, buckling the seat belt, waiting for the noises, hearing "the final doors are now closed, cabin crew please prepare the cabin for departure", then engine start, then pushback, then the slight nudge as the tug is released, and then the moving of the plane as it weaves its way to the right taxi way, then runway, then take off...
d.you get to hear all the noises on the flight, sensation of the veering turns
e.meal or no meal
f.readying the cabin for landing
g.yada yada yada
For $787 in Y, it does have its kick.
O, and did I mention the sensation of going through dom security screening, and "forgetting" you had that 2nd phone in your pocket...?, thus having to take it out and go back for screening a 2nd time...

Tee hee
Couldnt resist.
If QF/VA did one of these out of ADL, I would jump on asap.
If it sold out in 10 mins, there must be many more av nuts (aviation nuts) around than they would dare admit.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Interestingly, over on Flyertalk, there's an article I've just noticed (in the FT news section) about SQ looking at such flights (3hr flights), and it's met with absolute derision.

Four members out of 770,000 have commented. Maybe the 699,000 other members 'get it'?

 

[Danger]

All sounds great ... except for the part where you land in Melbourne.
[/QUOTE]

For a laugh the plane could land in Brisbane, which would throw a few people in a spin
[/QUOTE]

Ha. I like it. Or maybe, at top of descent, "Ladies and gentleman, as we have begun our descent into Christmas Island ..."

 

[Bindibuys]

Ha. I like it. Or maybe, at top of descent, "Ladies and gentleman, as we have begun our descent into Christmas Island ..."

Ahhh but WHICH Christmas Island ?

 

[kookaburra75]

O, and did I mention the sensation of going through dom security screening, and "forgetting" you had that 2nd phone in your pocket...?, thus having to take it out and go back for screening a 2nd time...

I was in a particular building on Friday, and while going through the scanners it went off, and I had to go back and take off my watch and belt - ahhh just like the old days of travelling....

 

[kookaburra75]

Ahhh but WHICH Christmas Island ?

This one I think

Christmas Island (Tasmania) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It would make for an exciting landing

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

watch and belt - ahhh just like the old days of travelling....

Every little bit of remembering helps.
You would have been just right, if you had a bottle of water, and they said, you can't bring the bottle of water through the check point, just like some airports.
But good that you got to experience the experience of taking off watch and belt tho, ...
Even if flights do come back, they might have much less times or dates of flight, or not at all, ((>O/T ala SYD - CHC on the EK metal flight, with the QF flight number, and the F cabin, even though if its the old 777 again.
Hopefully the liaison of QF and EK on that route does return.))
DOUBLE EDIT:
Qantas is selling EK flights from SYD to CHC and vv on their website again, which is good for those who need to visit the SYD QF F lounge, once it opens up again!