MEL-DFW direct from December 2022

[Notyourbag]

Hot scoop MEL-DFW will shortly be announced commencing December 2022!

 

[HS-TQE]

DFW's Twitter has (jumped the gun?) announced this moments ago, so official announcement from QF must be imminent.

 

[HS-TQE]

MEL-DFW, as reported by most media, will be operated by the 789, clocking in at 14,500kms and 17 hours on the DFW-MEL leg.

 

[levelnine]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1507856177836834816

 

[justinbrett]

Great to see it announced... not exactly out of the blue, it's been on the cards for a long time.

I'm expecting QF7/8 to remain B787 and adding the MEL route accommodates for this reduced capacity.

 

[pauly7]

This will be a great new route to help with my travel plans, great connections for my US travel.

 

[Lynda2475]

I'm expecting QF7/8 to remain B787 and adding the MEL route accommodates for this reduced capacity.

Yep explains why QF7/8 hasn't reverted back to A380 from July. I have J Seat on QF8 in August, and was half expecting to see a swap back to the A380 before this announcement.

The downside is that those bound for SYD will no longer be able to cheaply snap up 4 middle seats in Y on A380 on QF8 to create a Y lie flat experience, which was a nice perk due to weight restictions meaning never fully loaded, and means that QF First is only available to the horrible LAX.

Am hoping SYD-JFK and SYD-SFO come back and that BNE-ORD eventually starts, the more choices that avoid LAX the better.

 

[whoistheg]

Qantas adds second Australia route to DFW Airport with Melbourne flights

Australian air carrier Qantas announced new flights from DFW International Airport to Melbourne Saturday night, starting the routes in December. Qantas, which...

www.dallasnews.com

 

[whoistheg]

Will it be a direct flight home ?

 

[HS-TQE]

Am hoping SYD-JFK and SYD-SFO come back and that BNE-ORD starts, the more choices that avoid LAX the better.

Think it'll be a while before JFK resumes (if at all).

If QF does eventually resume JFK, the question is whether it'll be a tag from DFW or from LAX (ex-BNE).

 

[Lynda2475]

For me JFK from DFW would be preferred over LAX.

Connecting through DFW is much easier than LAX. When QF was using the A380 on QF7, it landed at a time when no other flights were using nearby gates, which made for really quick immigration clearance and then the F&J luggage had a separate carosuel to PE & Y, this made for quick collection and easy exit through customs, quick train ride to other terminal if needed.

At LAX it is always a mad rush to battle the huge queues as so many flights land at same time, pick up luggage, clear customs, drop off luggage, power walk landside to clear security again for airside and run to the gate. Last time there wasnt even 1 minute spare to go to the bathroom. Coming back JFK-LAX often gets weather delays (snow/ice in Winter or thunderstorms in Summer) so usually lands in LAX with only enough time to pee before having to line up to board again - no lounge time.

But Sunrise should see SYD-JFK direct which is even better if NY is your destination.

Id never choose to stop over in LA, but do happily spend time in Chicago or New York (its a rare US trip where a week in NY doesnt feature) and 1 night in Dallas is always good for outlet shopping.

 

[Lynda2475]

Will it be a direct flight home ?

It wil be non-stop the same way DYD-DFW is non-stop.

Note: direct flights can make a stop. QF 11 is a direct flight with a stop n LAX (JFK-LAX-SYD) whereas QF8 is a non-stop DFW-SYD (which is also direct).

 

[wandering_fred]

I know some people really like the direct flights. And from SYD or MEL any other connecting point is out of the way. To me it is more incentive to connect PER-SIN/KUL and get a much better priced premium economy seat via Japan to ORD/LAX/DFW/JFK/BOS
I prefer more economical (ie cheap) wandering
Fred

 

[justinbrett]

Will it be a direct flight home ?

It's about 10NM shorter than LHR-PER so should be fine.

Am hoping SYD-JFK and SYD-SFO come back and that BNE-ORD eventually starts, the more choices that avoid LAX the better.

For arriving in the US, I agree, LAX is often terrible for immigration etc. But on departure, when that's not a factor, I think I prefer LAX, the QF Flounge is definitely better than the DFW AA Flagship lounge (though it's still pretty good). No bag recheck required so it's pretty easy, especially now with the airside connector from T4 to TBIT (the dark days of the transfer bus are long behind us). There's also redundancy with multiple flights going to Australia (both QF/AA and other carriers) that if one cancels or you miss your connection, there's scope to get on another one same day. I guess there's now some redundancy from DFW but nothing like LAX.

 

[Lynda2475]

I never get to experience the lounge at LAX because im always connecting from JFK and there isnt time. Otherwize i fly home direct from DFW or SFO or HNL, because i find no pleasure spending time in LA, if im spending time in CA it will alwwys be in San Fran.

 

[http_x92]

I remember about 12 years ago (before the non stop service to/from DFW) going DFW-LAX-SYD and remembered making a mad dash just to board the flight back to Sydney.

How different is the experience these days between transiting through LAX vs DFW if you are coming to/from JFK/EWR for example? Does it take more time to go through LAX or DFW from Domestic to International Terminals? Might be a factor in the future.

 

[RSD]

It's about 10NM shorter than LHR-PER so should be fine.

What about the winds?

 

[dajop]

It's about 10NM shorter than LHR-PER so should be fine..

And about 380 miles shorter than the current DRW-LHR flight path.

 

[justinbrett]

I remember about 12 years ago (before the non stop service to/from DFW) going DFW-LAX-SYD and remembered making a mad dash just to board the flight back to Sydney.

How different is the experience these days between transiting through LAX vs DFW if you are coming to/from JFK/EWR for example? Does it take more time to go through LAX or DFW from Domestic to International Terminals? Might be a factor in the future.

Both are comparable.

LAX T4 has an airside connector to TBIT which means you can get from gate to gate in about 10 mins, slightly longer from T5 or T6 - or if departing from a TBIT bus gate (common for BNE). No additional checks required so you can go straight to your TBIT gate and board if needed. They also stopped doing that silly thing of replacing AA printed boarding passes with QF ones like the used to back in the day of the transfer bus.

DFW depends on your arrival gate as AA uses most of the terminals, but it’s just a case of taking the train and worst case would be 20 minutes from gate to gate.

 

[RichardMEL]

AGree. LAX connections are SO MUCH better since a) TBIT was redone and most specially b) the airside connectors were completed. Takes me around 25minutes between TBIT and T8 (for UA) and obviously connecting to/from T4/T5 is much less and it's easy and fairly pleasant experience (many of us definitely remember the bus none too fondly!

(and of course the extra benefit for status pax is to be able to check in for an AA dom flight, then zip on over to QF FLounge for decent grub and drink before it)