Canberra to Singapore Direct Flights (sometime???)

[kookaburra75]

Latest thought bubble from our Territory Government, who have seized on a throw-a-way line from a Qantas Media Statement (we have a local election in Oct)
"The prospect of more international flights to and from Canberra have strengthened with Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson naming the Canberra-Singapore route as being on the airline’s radar for the national carrier’s new planes."
"Ms Hudson said the XLRs would be able to enter markets Qantas hadn’t been able to commercially operate in such as Adelaide-Singapore and Canberra-Singapore as well as flights from Darwin and Perth, and “up into India (and) Malaysia”."

Qantas naming Canberra-Singapore route for new plane has Barr excited | Riotact

The prospect of more international flights to and from Canberra have strengthened with Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson naming the Canberra-Singapore…

the-riotact.com

After seeing Singapore Airlines run Wellington-Canberra-Singapore for some years, but leaving during Covid, it would be good to see them back, as well as QR restarting their flights CBR/SYD-DOH and beyond. However, I don't think I would get that excited about a medium-haul flight in an A321XLR to Singapore, seeing the others were running wide-bodied aircraft (B777/A350).

But, who knows. If the price point is right (and it would have to be), there may be takers.

 

[Himeno]

I'm not sure an 8 hour CBR-SIN flight on an 320XLR will work any better then an 8 hour CNS-HND flight on a 737.

SQ moved the WLG flight to a tag on a MEL flight and made the CBR flight into a SIN-SYD-CBR-SIN triangle flight. I don't see SQ returning to CBR until they resume their late night SYD departure.

CX might consider a CBR flight once they get back to their 70/weekly HKG-SYD/MEL/BNE/PER limit.

 

[evanb]

I think everyone is over interpreting this along with some broken telephone. The original interview by ET with Hudson is good and they're clearly distinguishing between Qantas's plans for the XLR and some speculation regarding potential routes they'd consider if they went with a lie flat version. This article appears to be over interpreting that interview quite substantially.

 

[jb747]

I thought you’d all be over QF’s management talking about any routes these days. Talking about, and actually doing, are a fair way apart.

 

[evanb]

I thought you’d all be over QF’s management talking about any routes these days. Talking about, and actually doing, are a fair way apart.

Exactly! The underlying article that it quote (from ET) shows Hudson being pretty clear the XLR is a B737-800 replacement for trunk domestic routes. The interview got into speculation about what the XLR could be with lie flats but I though Hudson and Wallace were pretty clear that they wouldn't put XLR on longer routes without a lie flat product and that they're exploring this, but there is no commitment to it. And yes, the interviewer probably asked them and where would you fly these. They responded with where could they fly them. Nothing wrong with this sort of open speculation. However, we shouldn't over interpret that!

So much can change over time. Five years ago we were looking forward to BNE-SFO and BNE-ORD, instead we got MEL-DFW, PER-FCO and PER-CDG, none of which were being speculated about! So much can change in five years. I imagine if they do eventually put lie flats on the XLRs that by the time it happens so much would have evolved, both from Qantas's side, but also competitors.

I think a lot of the over interpretation comes from people looking at the stylised view. They see the XLR for range because this how Airbus have marketed it in the public view and how the first few carriers are operating it. People are looking past every airline having a unique use case. For Qantas, the XLR isn't about range, but about payload and efficient use of it, and particularly how it overcomes the weaknesses of the B737-800, A320, A321 and A321LR on trans continental flights. It doesn't have to trade payload for fuel flying SYD/BNE/MEL-PER westbound and furthermore has the volumetric space to carry the payload (read cargo).

Had a little brainstorm on it here: Why Qantas ordered the A321 XLR without lie-flat business class seats?

Post automatically merged: Jul 26, 2024

I thought you’d all be over QF’s management talking about any routes these days. Talking about, and actually doing, are a fair way apart.

PS I love route speculation, but it's most often speculation. Totally agree about talking and actually doing ... the one's they do are often the least talked about too

 

[kookaburra75]

I think everyone is over interpreting this along with some broken telephone. The original interview by ET with Hudson is good and they're clearly distinguishing between Qantas's plans for the XLR and some speculation regarding potential routes they'd consider if they went with a lie flat version. This article appears to be over interpreting that interview quite substantially.

It was published in our local version of a "gossip" paper - and hyperbole is their speciality. I can't see the major part of our local market, government travel, wanting to downgrade from their established business class service/routes.