AA to fly LAX/SYD; Qantas returns to SFO/SYD

[Sdtravel]

Re: About time - some real competition USA-AU OW

If it was morning i would arrive in SFO early morning rather than arriving close to midday with my current 2h layover in LAX then the connecting flight for 90 minutes.
It will be unlikely i can be at the office by 2pm at this rate.

With a direct i could be there be at the office by 9am

So answering your question it has value to some but not all.
I also wouldnt need to transfer from TBIT to T4 in LAX and go through security again

 

[pauly7]

Re: About time - some real competition USA-AU OW

No matter how good the hard product is, if the cabin crew are as rude, lazy and downright unfriendly as they have been on most of my recent AA flights, then what's the point? I'll stick with Qantas for now, but happy to see this if it means more competition and a new route for QF to SFO!

Re: AA staff - agree, have been doing stacks of longhaul J with them and I find them either bored, disinterested or downright patronizing.

Re: AA product. QF an easy win for comfort, food for me. Will be a personal preference I'm sure.

Re: QF re-launching SFO. Fantastic news!!!

 

[Katy]

Re: About time - some real competition USA-AU OW

AA international isn't as bad as AA domestic.. and two days left now to buy AA miles with current offer that includes bonus miles.. $3900 US will get you 192000 miles. Enough for J return to LAX. But thats for code share on QF. Not sure what AA would charge.

The breakdown is 32000 plus 10000 bonus.. $944.00
100000 plus 50000 bonus.. $2950.. Total $3894.

Now just getting a seat...

I thought there was a 100k cap for purchasing (not including bonus miles)?

 

[docjames]

Re: About time - some real competition USA-AU OW

Qantas and American Airlines will shortly apply for regulatory approval for these new arrangements. We'll have more information over the coming weeks, including details about when the new flights will be available for sale.

Any indication of flight timing(s) (both QF SYD-SFO-SYD and AA LAX-SYD-LAX)??

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Red Roo when can the SYD/SFO flights be booked online?

Booked or redeemed Limewood?

 

[coriander]

Re: Major new AA route to be announced June 9th.

“San Francisco is now the most popular onward destination for Qantas’ customers travelling to the U.S. and we’re thrilled to be going back..

What's this "NOW" bit? - hasn't SFO always been QF passengers most popular onward destination? 789s or 359s (yeah I know, dream on!) would be a good fit for MEL/SYD-SFO. Anyway, I'm much happier flying directly into SFO rather than via LAX. Great news.

 

[opusman]

Re: Major new AA route to be announced June 9th.

Now that TBIT's so nice I'm torn between preferring LAX and SFO as a gateway.

 

[Himeno]

Qantas and American Airlines will shortly apply for regulatory approval for these new arrangements. We'll have more information over the coming weeks, including details about when the new flights will be available for sale.

AA said the same thing. However, the Australia - US route is open skies with unlimited capacity. It shouldn't require anything more then AA/QF sending a letter to IASC and DOT saying "we're doing this" and IASC/DOT saying "sure, go ahead".

This is more or less what I expected when I saw the pic AA posted last night. Though I wasn't expecting only a slight reduction of the 747 SYD-LAX. Was thinking that QF pulls QF17/18 SYD-LAX, AA takes over with 77W, QF resumes SFO.
With QF18 being dropped to 3xweekly, what happens with JFK? The press release says LAX-JFK will still be daily. Will the flight numbers change (again)? Aircraft change (A380>747) in both directions with the QF11/12 numbers?

 

[Himeno]

Press conference. Joycee stretching the truth again, he grounded the airline on October 29 2011.

Qantas and American Airlines to boost flights between Australia and the US

Not really. Only QF Mainline was grounded. QantasLink and Jetconnect kept flying so "Qantas" wasn't fully grounded.
That's like saying QF stopped flying long haul because 6 A380s were grounded after the QF32 incident.

 

[RooFlyer]

I kinda hoped a mod would have merged the 3 or so threads running on this topic today ... but may be a bit late now.

 

[dajop]

Qantas returns to SFO

AA said the same thing. However, the Australia - US route is open skies with unlimited capacity. It shouldn't require anything more then AA/QF sending a letter to IASC and DOT saying "we're doing this" and IASC/DOT saying "sure, go ahead".
?

Wouldn't there need to be regulatory sanctions to the broadening of the AA/QF revenue sharing agreement?

 

[Mr_Orange]

With QF18 being dropped to 3xweekly, what happens with JFK? The press release says LAX-JFK will still be daily. Will the flight numbers change (again)? Aircraft change (A380>747) in both directions with the QF11/12 numbers?

It's still daily, as it is the aircraft from BNE that flies to JFK.

 

[Pleb Status]

Re: About time - some real competition USA-AU OW

In the long term, letting AA onto SYD-LAX is bad news for QF. With the EK/QF alliance, QF services to Europe have more than halved and could drop to a single flight daily to LHR in the future as QF9/10 was struggling past DXB. With the new AA/QF alliance, the same thing could happen to the USA in the future.

The 'new' SYD-SFO flight has been tried before by QF and has failed before operating the same aircraft. Why will doing the exactly same thing again be any different? Maybe a 787 might make the economics better but not a 744. If it does fail and QF pull out from SFO once again, I doubt AA will drop SYD-LAX and let QF operate all the LAX services again.

If QF was going to let AA fly to SYD, it would make sense to give them DFW or let them start SFO. Why give away your best route, which has been profitable for years, to start one that has failed in the past....

 

[Himeno]

It's still daily, as it is the aircraft from BNE that flies to JFK.

which has nothing to do with the question. I even mentioned that it was still daily.
I can see the following options for JFK.
Same aircraft through, flight numbers changed from 11/18 to 15/16 BNE-LAX-JFK.
Aircraft change A380/747 at LAX in both directions. QF12 retimed. QF18 JFK-LAX renumbered to QF12.

 

[Himeno]

Wouldn't there need to be regulatory sanctions to the broadening of the AA/QF revenue sharing agreement?

Maybe, maybe not. Would have to locate the ACCC report allowing said agreement. It could very well be something they've been allowed to do the whole time, but haven't as AA didn't operate their own flights to AU.

 

[Alanslegal]

Wow, and I mean WOW (in a sarcastic way) because when Qantas actually provides a real enhancement (direct to SFO), they don't even call it an enhancement.

I am sooooooooooooooo used to Qantas sayings promoting it as an enhancement ..... yet we lost Anytime Access, JASAs/FASAs, changes to the BIS points earn etc.

I think I have figured out, when its not an enhancement, it is going to be good. But when it is an enhancement, you know its going to be dung.

 

[drron]

Re: About time - some real competition USA-AU OW

I wouldn't be counting on any premium award availability on AA at milesAAver rates.They have virtually disappeared from long haul AA routes.We used to do NRT-USA and reverse at least 3 times yearly in F on milesAAver awards at 62500 miles + $US2.50.The cheapest now at AAnytime rates is 155000 miles and mostly 200000 miles.

 

[Himeno]

Re: About time - some real competition USA-AU OW

The 'new' SYD-SFO flight has been tried before by QF and has failed before operating the same aircraft. Why will doing the exactly same thing again be any different? Maybe a 787 might make the economics better but not a 744. If it does fail and QF pull out from SFO once again, I doubt AA will drop SYD-LAX and let QF operate all the LAX services again.

What makes you think SYD-SFO "failed" last time?

 

[Red Roo]

Wow, and I mean WOW (in a sarcastic way) because when Qantas actually provides a real enhancement (direct to SFO), they don't even call it an enhancement.

Wait a minute...didn't you (AFFers) tell us not to use the "e" word anymore?!

!@#$%^ if we do, !@#$%^ if we don't.

 

[Himeno]

Re: About time - some real competition USA-AU OW

Any indication of flight timing(s) (both QF SYD-SFO-SYD and AA LAX-SYD-LAX)??

For the AA flight, it would depend how long they want a 77W sitting at SYD. I think a lot of people are thinking it will be close to the current QF17/18 times. But on the 3 days/week the 2nd QF operated flight is going, I'm not sure the LAX-SYD route really needs another 350ish seats to go with DL, UA, VA and 2xQF in the same 3 hour block and would mean about 7 hours on the ground in SYD.
Maybe something like ex-LAX around 9am, arrive SYD around 4pm. Depart SYD around 6pm, arrive LAX around 3pm

For the QF SFO, most likely close to the old flight times.
SYD-SFO 1255-0900
SFO-SYD 2310-0540+2