Qantas A380 refurbishment news and updates

[travelislife]

You know, EK plans to fly them again. If QF can’t work out a way to make them profitable then perhaps they need to get rid of them. Perhaps one of the least inspiring configurations anyway... droopy beds, no showers, no bars. Hardly appealing to the premium market as it was. Their product was hardly competitive

Surely the loss of first class from Aus to the US will be a loss of significant revenue? Might have even thought the initial phase coming out of COVID more people may be interested in plumping for the space of first.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Surely the loss of first class from Aus to the US will be a loss of significant revenue? Might have even thought the initial phase coming out of COVID more people may be interested in plumping for the space of first.

They’ll just charge exorbitant prices for the few business class seats they have left I suspect. And people will pay to maintain their status?

 

[TheInsider]

They’ll just charge exorbitant prices for the few business class seats they have left I suspect. And people will pay to maintain their status?

99% of people don't just travel for status. Members here are the 1% that would!

 

[GoldCanyon340]

They’ll just charge exorbitant prices for the few business class seats they have left I suspect. And people will pay to maintain their status?

I'm shaking my head at people who do status runs on TransPac flights

 

[Melburnian1]

99% of people don't just travel for status. Members here are the 1% that would!

1% is high. More like 0.0002%!

I can't see the economics in this, especially when with almost all airlines, FF benefits can be and are arbitrarily reduced by the airline, sometimes with little notice. If you enjoy travel, fair enough, but an 'expensive' way to even do that.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm shaking my head at people who do status runs on TransPac flights

My point was not that people would do a status run, but they are willing to fly Qantas rather than United in order to build/maintain status. This is clearly the case as people fly Qantas TPAC despite higher fares and no guarantee of full flat beds - something offered by United.

 

[calmelb]

Perhaps one of the least inspiring configurations anyway... droopy beds, no showers, no bars. Hardly appealing to the premium market as it was. Their product was hardly competitive

At least half of them now have flat beds though, and a better social area

 

[Kangol]

My point was not that people would do a status run, but they are willing to fly Qantas rather than United in order to build/maintain status. This is clearly the case as people fly Qantas TPAC despite higher fares and no guarantee of full flat beds - something offered by United.

Sounds like you've never flown F on the A380

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Sounds like you've never flown F on the A380

So F has passengers but business class is empty?

 

[Kangol]

So F has passengers but business class is empty?

You might be missing the point, F has a guarantee of full flat beds... where you claimed there was no guarantee. That's all.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

You might be missing the point, F has a guarantee of full flat beds... where you claimed there was no guarantee. That's all.

We're talking business class. United doesn't offer first. The QF skybeds suffer from significant droop, yet QF still gets the pax loads despite their competitors offering flat beds. But TPAC is not an isolated example. On paper CX was a winner for many years with full flats to HKG and Europe where Qantas had angled flats.

 

[DC3]

... The QF skybeds suffer from significant droop, yet QF still gets the pax loads despite their competitors offering flat beds ....

Although, no droop at all with a wheeled carry-on placed under there. Completely horizontal.

 

[moa999]

I don't think we will ever see the Skybeds again.
332/333/787 all suites
Half the 380s suites (and even they might not come back)
747s gone

 

[ajw373]

Sounds like you've never flown F on the A380

Core issue is Mel-traveller doesn’t like Qantas or its products.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Core issue is Mel-traveller doesn’t like Qantas or its products.

That’s possibly a bit harsh. QF F on a good day is up there with the best in the world.

But the dissatisfaction in general, is wholly objective.

 

[ajw373]

is wholly objective

I would have said subjective not objective.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I would have said subjective not objective.

Objective is right.

Meal service is slow. Cabin seating is behind competitors in terms of innovation. There was little innovation in the design of the A380 cabin. B747 cabins were left to run down. Upgrades to the a330 fleet took around 7 years from the time of announcement, and the product is already 2nd generation (the same seats are currently being installed on other airlines but with doors). Skybeds suffer from significant droop. Customers are not given the same level of choice to tailor their onboard experience as they get with other airlines (for example cafe breakfasts and no hot choices on flights into Australia).

All those are objective.

possibly subjectively, there won’t be many that disagree that a major issue with QF cabin crew service is inconsistency. Some great crew members. Some not. I guess the subjective bit is whether QF crews have greater inconsistency than other airlines.

 

[ajw373]

Again subjective on almost every point. But we digress.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Perhaps they are all relevant to whether QF can profitably fly the a380 again?

 

[Kangol]

We're talking business class. United doesn't offer first. The QF skybeds suffer from significant droop, yet QF still gets the pax loads despite their competitors offering flat beds. But TPAC is not an isolated example. On paper CX was a winner for many years with full flats to HKG and Europe where Qantas had angled flats.

Oh, a new and previously unmentioned topic that "we're" now talking about, interesting..