Chasing the Qantas 787

[1022]

Likewise, I was able to book QF1 for May, but my preferred return QF2 was booked out in J for 5 days either side of desired travel date. QF10 was wide-open for my preferred date. Passengers already voting with their dollars?

I was looking at various whY options to LHR from both SYD and BNE in late May. Similarly the booking engine was throwing up a lot more availability and lower prices by routing in and out of PER instead of various SIN flight combinations. So chalk me up as someone voting with my wallet and not flying QF at all for that trip.

 

[docjames]

Likewise, I was able to book QF1 for May, but my preferred return QF2 was booked out in J for 5 days either side of desired travel date. QF10 was wide-open for my preferred date. Passengers already voting with their dollars?

Yeah it's strange isn't it - either the bulk are trying to book QF1 and taking up availability / cheap fare buckets, and/or QF knows this is occurring and is holding prices higher on QF1/2 and "forcing" people onto QF9/10

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of their new QF9/10 strategy. Although maybe the overall profit across both flights will be better than the status quo?

In any event, I'm happy enough to try QF10 (in J!) and see what it's like.

if it's awful, it wont be happening again. But really, how bad can it be in J?

 

[vlocity160]

9-Feb QF775 MEL-PER

Interesting with this one is that the icon beneath the flight says A330 but when you click on it, it says 787. Another Qantas site bug?

 

[Must...Fly!]

Interesting with this one is that the icon beneath the flight says A330 but when you click on it, it says 787. Another Qantas site bug?

Pretty common when they don't want to absolutely confirm it (and have people whinge that "it was a 787 when I booked!" too, I imagine). Original 787 flights were like this for a long time.

 

[Himeno]

Pretty common when they don't want to absolutely confirm it (and have people whinge that "it was a 787 when I booked!" too, I imagine). Original 787 flights were like this for a long time.

It depends when QF accepts delivery of VH-ZNC.
It is ready for delivery, having had its first flight 10 days ago. It is currently listed as being delivered on the 24th.
ZND is expected to be rolled out of the assembly hanger tomorrow with delivery currently planned for Feb 26.
NZE is expected in mid July, ZNF in late August, ZNG in mid November and ZNH in late November.

 

[PaulST]

It depends when QF accepts delivery of VH-ZNC.
It is ready for delivery, having had its first flight 10 days ago. It is currently listed as being delivered on the 24th.
ZND is expected to be rolled out of the assembly hanger tomorrow with delivery currently planned for Feb 26.
NZE is expected in mid July, ZNF in late August, ZNG in mid November and ZNH in late November.

Thanks for the update. I can't wait to see ZND's livery!

 

[moa999]

VH-ZNC on delivery flight now, due into MEL around 2300 tonight, so the 787s will start back onto domestic routes.

ZND has reportedly come out of final assembly and will have first flight around 31-Jan. Reports on airliners.net that it will fly to Portland PDX in early-Feb for repaint into the new Dreamtime scheme with delivery due 26-Feb per Himeno above

 

[serfty]

Hope they do a more traditional indigenous design than the last one ...

 

[moa999]

Hope they do a more traditional indigenous design than the last one ...

Define tradition.. The dot paintings that you see in an art gallery are generally created to fill a perception.
Aboriginal art is far more varied, and in any event is mostly a modern tradition - for some context and examples
The Story of Aboriginal Art

I'd argue Mendoowoorrji was probably the most traditional.
While Yananyi, Wunala, and Nalanji had the dots, they were coloured like a Ken Done painting

But from the tail pic that has been released from Seattle, it looks like Dreamtime will have more dots

 

[AIRwin]

It appears QF609 BNE-MEL on 25 August will be operated by a B787 so I've booked myself on it to try out...

 

[Sdtravel]

Just read someones post on Ausbt that the 789 is doing the rounds twice daily between MEL & BNE in July & August
Might be a good opportunity to test it out if they are still offering WP's access to the Y+ seats.

 

[Silvia]

Just read someones post on Ausbt that the 789 is doing the rounds twice daily between MEL & BNE in July & August
Might be a good opportunity to test it out if they are still offering WP's access to the Y+ seats.

Yes, I actually happened to book MEL-BNE both ways on the 787. I'm QFF gold and it was a nice surprise to see that I could select row 20, even though I'm booked on the cheapest economy ticket.
From MEL-BNE you can book on QF614 and QF634 (mid morning and evening departure), from BNE-MEL it's on QF627.

 

[mviy]

They have to do something with the 5th 787 till the 6th one arrives. There'll be further domestic flights presumably once the 7th 787 arrives till the 8th 787 arrives.

 

[Himeno]

Just read someones post on Ausbt that the 789 is doing the rounds twice daily between MEL & BNE in July & August

They are having a 787 on domestic flights between ZNE and ZNF arriving.
NZE is currently on the Boeing Flight line undergoing pre flight prep. It's due to be delivered on July 12.
NZF is due for delivery on August 24.

ZNG and ZNH are both due in November.

 

[mviy]

ZNG and ZNH are both due in November.

Ah so if they arrive very close together there may not be any domestic flights in November.

 

[futaris]

787-9s are on:

QF609 BNE-MEL 0700-0925
QF627 BNE-MEL 1600-1825

QF614 MEL-BNE 1110-1320
QF634 MEL-BNE 1925-2125

 

[Sprucegoose]

I was lucky enough to fly the 787 out of BNE on its second flight. The IFE was not working in 1K, but that seems the only operational issue. They also got the gate in bear record time in Melbourne.

 

[chooms]

Well, sad day today. No more B787 ops on the BNE-MEL-BNE run with the commencement of B787 ops BNE-LAX-JFK. I’ll miss it on my weekly QF627 Sunday runs down to MEL. No more opups with the huge number of J seats available and QF overselling Y or merging flights. No more Y+ seats for Y fare which suited well for the 2hr flight. Hands down beats the hit and miss B737s I’ll be going back to.

 

[bcworld]

Inaugural MEL-SFO tonight too.

 

[coriander]

Inaugural MEL-SFO tonight too.

We're on QF49 on Wednesday and QF 12 JFK-LAX a little later; then we will have done 787 end-end routing LHR-PER-SFO/LAX-JFK .