A330 SYD-PER

[Melburnian1]

At least you have some choices . Flight options between MEL and PER are slim pickings unfortunately. Particularly annoying when QF & VA are mirroring flight times on most days and the schedule doesn't work.

Things will keep changing, schedules are very unreliable at the moment and I can't blame the airlines for it...

Great (or more correctly 'grate' or 'grit(ted teeth') that little has changed since the days of the 'terrible twins', Ansett and TAA. They loved scheduling departures within five minutes of each other. Today on the most popular route, MEL-SYD and v.v., QFd, VAd and ZL all love to timetable departures on the hour as there's a view that timing it for 'five minutes to (or past) the hour' will result in fewer passengers.

Not much "choice" today from MEL to PER. QF773 at 0935 (which always runs), a VAd at 1015 hours, QFd at 1500, JQd at 1530 and lastly VAd at 1745. So anyone meeting others in the Melbourne suburbs (depending on where) might have to wrap up by 1530 at the latest to be at the airport by 1630 (if needing to park) for the 1745, and no one could arrive in the PER suburbs much before 1130 hours.

JQd has been cancelling its previous 0615 hours early morning to PER from MEL, although I omitted to check the last few days.

So today: five flights in total one way ex MEL for Perth, against 12-16 a couple of years ago bearing in mind TT used to also fly the route.. My guess is today, fewer are A330s compared with back then. Plus no mid afternoon QF9 B789 westbound that went on to LHR.

The drop in seating capacity must be of the order of 60 per cent, perhaps slightly more. No wonder the Perth CBD hotels by media reports are trading poorly.

 

[Virgin Bart]

I'm flying MEL PER on 25/3 so have been keenly helping an eye on what's available too. For a long time it was just the QF 0935 and JQ 1530, then about a week ago the QF 1500 was added which I jumped on (albeit a B738).. though I'm hoping another afternoon A332 pops up.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Great (or more correctly 'grate' or 'grit(ted teeth') that little has changed since the days of the 'terrible twins', Ansett and TAA. They loved scheduling departures within five minutes of each other. Today on the most popular route, MEL-SYD and v.v., QFd, VAd and ZL all love to timetable departures on the hour as there's a view that timing it for 'five minutes to (or past) the hour' will result in fewer passengers.

Not much "choice" today from MEL to PER. QF773 at 0935 (which always runs), a VAd at 1015 hours, QFd at 1500, JQd at 1530 and lastly VAd at 1745. So anyone meeting others in the Melbourne suburbs (depending on where) might have to wrap up by 1530 at the latest to be at the airport by 1630 (if needing to park) for the 1745, and no one could arrive in the PER suburbs much before 1130 hours.

JQd has been cancelling its previous 0615 hours early morning to PER from MEL, although I omitted to check the last few days.

So today: five flights in total one way ex MEL for Perth, against 12-16 a couple of years ago bearing in mind TT used to also fly the route.. My guess is today, fewer are A330s compared with back then. Plus no mid afternoon QF9 B789 westbound that went on to LHR.

The drop in seating capacity must be of the order of 60 per cent, perhaps slightly more. No wonder the Perth CBD hotels by media reports are trading poorly.

Scheduling is an issue. Lack of an early morning flight to Perth and a reliable late afternoon return is seriously annoying. Anyway it's a minor gripe I guess. Things will improve with time and (hopefully) no more snap closures and 28 day waits for things to open.

 

[sinophile888]

I recently managed to book 2x PER -> MEL -> PER in J over Christmas using points. It required a slightly longer stay in Melbourne that we wanted but as my preferences include morning flights on the A330, I am pretty happy with the booking.

I hope that the A330 remains the aircraft for our dates.