New domestic routes

Status
Not open for further replies.
That 3rd destination appears to be Sydney to Ballina Byron.

Looks like one of the tiles on the Qantas homepage has flipped:

"Launching flights between Sydney and Ballina (Byron), sale on now
Flights commence 29 March 2020 subject to government and regulatory approval.”

No word on Orange or Griffith.
 
I wonder if there will be an few "Beagles" regularly sniffing there way through the luggage and gate area of the Ballina Byron flight 😆
 
Byron area has a high number of high net wealth individuals with residences in the area - surprised it’s taken so long for QF to start this route.
 
docjames said:
Byron area has a high number of high net wealth individuals with residences in the area - surprised it’s taken so long for QF to start this route.
Click to expand...

Following a well trodden and proven strategy of letting the airport suffer with Jetstar for a while, then let VA come in and upgrade pax a bit, then swoop in and steal all of the premium high yielding passengers from VA. OOL was the same, Bali the same.
 
I note the QANTAS-Link Sydney - Byron flights will be operated by Eastern (a subsidiary of QANTAS). But, not all regional routes operated by QANTAS-Link are operated by QANTAS or subsidiaries. SYD-OOL, for example, is contracted out to Cobham Aviation.
 
It depends on the aircraft type as the different fleets are specific to certain operators,

The Dash-8 Q200/Q300 fleet is operated by Eastern Australia Airlines
The Dash-8 Q400 fleet is operated by Sunstate Airlines
The 717 jet fleet is operated by National Jet Systems (Cobham)

The first two (EAA and Sunstate) are fully owned Qantas subsidiaries.

National Jet Systems (Cobham) are the only 3rd party operator that fly under the Qantas brand. All the others are Qantas owned.
 
docjames said:
Byron area has a high number of high net wealth individuals with residences in the area - surprised it’s taken so long for QF to start this route.
Click to expand...
Agree , should has resumed years ago . I think it wont take long for it to move to a Q400 /737, sometime later in the year , especially during peak periods.
 
bfm said:
I note the QANTAS-Link Sydney - Byron flights will be operated by Eastern (a subsidiary of QANTAS). But, not all regional routes operated by QANTAS-Link are operated by QANTAS or subsidiaries. SYD-OOL, for example, is contracted out to Cobham Aviation.
Click to expand...
Qantas mainline (B737) operates most of the Sydney- OOL services - I think only 1 a day is Cobham (B717), maybe more on the weekend
 
jamescara said:
I wonder if there will be an few "Beagles" regularly sniffing there way through the luggage and gate area of the Ballina Byron flight 😆
Click to expand...
The only dogs I have seen at Ballina Airport are companion animals for visually impaired people. I have been flying to/from BNK since the airport opened in 1987
 
jakeseven7 said:
Following a well trodden and proven strategy of letting the airport suffer with Jetstar for a while, then let VA come in and upgrade pax a bit, then swoop in and steal all of the premium high yielding passengers from VA. OOL was the same, Bali the same.
Click to expand...
QF are only operating a timetable to suit business customers at present. Early morning departure from BNK and about a 17:10 departure from SYD. Most of the people that fly into BNK on JQ to go to Byron are the younger less cashed up tourists. They also do not do due diligence on their destination. One taxi driver told me that a young couple hailed a taxi wanting to go into town. The driver asked them whereabouts in Ballina. They told him they wanted to go to Byron. He told them it was 35km and would cost about $100 from BNK to Byron Bay. They immediately got out of the taxi and tried to get on the Byron Easybus.
 
This is a good move by Qantas. I live in the area and regularly commute to Sydney. The flights might skim a few pax off JQ and VA services (I usually see a smattering of Q-tagged bags on JQ and Virgin flights), but given they both time flights towards leisure pax, I doubt it'll hurt them too much.

REX are the ones who will likely suffer the most as their daily services currently offer the only option for a day-return trip to Sydney (with aircraft sitting on the tarmac overnight at BNK). They charge like wounded bulls on the route, so it'll be interesting to see if their fares come down to compete with QF. Mind you on QF it's a 20 year old rattly turbo-prop vs a 30 year old one on REX with similar in-flight service, so it's not a huge upgrade for regulars on this route. Fingers crossed it's be a success for QF and we'll see 717s and eventually mainline 737s take over.
 
iRobbo said:
Qantas mainline (B737) operates most of the Sydney- OOL services - I think only 1 a day is Cobham (B717), maybe more on the weekend
Click to expand...

There appears one in the am for B737, the remainder (several) are all B717
's.
 
Check out the latest credit card signup bonus point offers
Read our AFF credit card guides and start earning more points now.

AFF Supporters can remove this and all advertisements

chai_1022 said:
Mind you on QF it's a 20 year old rattly turbo-prop vs a 30 year old one on REX with similar in-flight service, so it's not a huge upgrade for regulars on this route.
Click to expand...

I imagine the most significant difference would be the ground experience at SYD T3.
 
sbor90 said:
I imagine the most significant difference would be the ground experience at SYD T3.
Click to expand...
Precisely. QP access is the main difference plus the fact that T2 is a zoo at the best of times... Though the pain of T2 can be minimised by using the 'secret' security entrance right behind the ground floor REX boarding gates :-)
 
It will be interesting how they will actually fit these flights into the schedule.

Would've thought a jet would be better (especially with a J option, giving premium customers a choice other than JQ - example, the Cobham/QantasLink 717s on MCY & HTI).
 
From the 1st May

A mix of Q200/Q300

SYD-OAG

QF2015 – 10.30 – 11.20 MWTFSa
QF2017 – 14.00 – 14.45 Su
QF2017 – 16.55 – 17.45 MTWTF

OAG-SYD

QF2016 – 11.40 – 12.30 MWTFSa
QF2018 – 15.10 – 16.00 Su
QF2018 – 18.25 – 19.15 MTWTF
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Become an AFF member!

Join Australian Frequent Flyer (AFF) for free and unlock insider tips, exclusive deals, and global meetups with 65,000+ frequent flyers.

AFF members can also access our Frequent Flyer Training courses, and upgrade to Fast-track your way to expert traveller status and unlock even more exclusive discounts!

AFF forum abbreviations

Wondering about Y, J or any of the other abbreviations used on our forum?

Check out our guide to common AFF acronyms & abbreviations.

Recent Posts

Staff online

Currently Active Users

... and 9 more.
Total: 355 (members: 59, guests: 296)
Back
Top