Qantas out - Jetstar in on Trans-tasman

[ANDREW]

Hello - on searching Qantas flights from Christchurch NZ to either Melbourne or Sydney over Xmas returning 16-20th January little or no qantas direct flights.
Obviously they are tunneling us into Jetstar , leaving two things that we truely hate, only early morning check-ins available, and while you still have club access (life mem QC) you lose priority check in to avoid long queing at Sydney coming back.
Not worried about the ff points (thats why paid qc) or too much about paying extra for Qantas over Jetstar, but it seems thoroughly rediculous. One wonders what would have happened if code-sharing had come about...

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Hello - on searching Qantas flights from Christchurch NZ to either Melbourne or Sydney over Xmas returning 16-20th January little or no qantas direct flights.
Obviously they are tunneling us into Jetstar , leaving two things that we truely hate, only early morning check-ins available, and while you still have club access (life mem QC) you lose priority check in to avoid long queing at Sydney coming back.
Not worried about the ff points (thats why paid qc) or too much about paying extra for Qantas over Jetstar, but it seems thoroughly rediculous. One wonders what would have happened if code-sharing had come about...

I think it is the opposite situation. Now the codeshare has been rejected (as expected), QF are far more likely to shift most trans-tasman flights to JQ (to cut costs) than if they were allowed to codeshare with NZ (to raise fares).

 

[Tooner]

I think it is the opposite situation. Now the codeshare has been rejected (as expected), QF are far more likely to shift most trans-tasman flights to JQ (to cut costs) than if they were allowed to codeshare with NZ (to raise fares).

Wasn't cutting costs the reason Jetconnect took a lot of flights from WLG to OZ? Although I always thought it strange that a 767 flew from CHC to SYD, when all WLG flights are 737:!:

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Wasn't cutting costs the reason Jetconnect took a lot of flights from WLG to OZ? Although I always thought it strange that a 767 flew from CHC to SYD, when all WLG flights are 737:!:

Have you flown in/out of WLG? Runway is rather short with ditch at both ends and then sea. Not to mention often bad strong crosswinds. They can only fly narrow bodies full at WLG.

 

[NM]

They can only fly narrow bodies full at WLG.

That is an interesting way to describe NZ pollies .

 

[Altair]

Have you flown in/out of WLG? Runway is rather short with ditch at both ends and then sea. Not to mention often bad strong crosswinds. They can only fly narrow bodies full at WLG.

WLG used to have a scheduled QF747SP service:!:
You can fly a 767 into and out of WLG, there have also been 777 and 747 as well. Like Kiwi Fkyer says, the issue is the short runway and the current extensions are for the runway overrun standards only.
QF 737-400 is weight restricted out of WLG, I have been on a flight where they off loaded people and routed them via MEL. This also means you have a very good chance of having the middle seat empty if you have some status.:mrgreen:

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

WLG used to have a scheduled QF747SP service:!:

I know, but severely limited loads. Back before Ohakea was allowed to be a widebody diversion airport (due to being military airport), WLG had some 747 diversions when both AKL and CHC closed to fog (or snow in the case of CHC) at the same time. Very interesting watching them try to get out again, even empty!

 

[Tooner]

Have you flown in/out of WLG? Runway is rather short with ditch at both ends and then sea. Not to mention often bad strong crosswinds. They can only fly narrow bodies full at WLG.

Aah yes, how could I forget - the collective gasp from people who have never flown into WLG before as we drop below the cloud at about 200 ft to realise we are landing sideways!:shock:

Plus the realisation that it is not whether there will be a cross wind, but when will the cross wind hit!

Cheers

 

[Altair]

I think it is the opposite situation. Now the codeshare has been rejected (as expected), QF are far more likely to shift most trans-tasman flights to JQ (to cut costs) than if they were allowed to codeshare with NZ (to raise fares).

I do wonder about this and have heard conflicting stories about what QF is going to do.
What I do know is that there is not as much inbound tourists into WLG as CHC or AKL. The flights that I have been on NZ seem to be emptier than the QF ones and the fares are lower on NZ, especially when you add the QF taxes. There also appears, by clothing, a higher ratio of business travellers on QF than NZ. I do not know about DJ as most of the time the check in is not open when I check in for my flight to SYD.
Jetconnect crew are paid around the same as Jetstar crew, but I think a mistake of NZ is trying to provide a service that is one step above DJ/JQ that is giving QF more marketshare in the higher yielding passengers. Also I think NZ margins are lower so rely upon a higher loading which they have given away to QF, hence their comment that one or two passengers is the difference between profit or loss. I doubt that QF will want to give their position away, well maybe to BNE but not MEL or SYD.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Aah yes, how could I forget - the collective gasp from people who have never flown into WLG before as we drop below the cloud at about 200 ft to realise we are landing sideways!:shock:

Plus the realisation that it is not whether there will be a cross wind, but when will the cross wind hit!

Cheers

You forgot about flying through the surf and spray when landing from the south.

 

[Tooner]

You forgot about flying through the surf and spray when landing from the south.

Good point, though I can't remember ever landing from the North!

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Landing from the north usually means its a really horrid day (southeasterly barelling up the harbour). Then you get the gasps as you pass low over the northern hill suburbs - which may be the first view of Wellington.

 

[Altair]

Landing from the north usually means its a really horrid day (southeasterly barelling up the harbour). Then you get the gasps as you pass low over the northern hill suburbs - which may be the first view of Wellington.

Interesting, as a regular user and someone who lives adjacent to the flight path, Hataitai west side of Evans Bay, I noticed that take-offs in the morning are generally to the north (I use this as my sleep alarm and learnt the schedules:shock: ) and landings in the afternoon and night are from the north as well, even if there is a light, not WLG light!, but normal light northerly. So I would say my 70% of my midnight returns have been on the northern approach. Oh the fog issue is from the south so I sometimes see and more often hear the planes doing missed approaches which is entertaining unless you have a flight the next day
For my money the southern approach is the most fun and you do feel like you are surfing the waves in Lyall Bay bumping along final approach. Also you know you have entered Wellington airspace when the plane starts to jump up and down, generally just after passing Nelson when coming from Australia.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Next time I land from the north I'll wave at you

 

[Altair]

Next time I land from the north I'll wave at you

Yep 3 seconds after Mt. Vic tower to the right, slightly up the hill close to the water. Unless I am trying to get some sleep....

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Rata Rd?

 

[Altair]

Rata Rd?

So close, Rewa off Rata:!:

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

out by half a second

link to picture (Mt Vic top left, WLG bottom middle)

 

[JohnK]

I do wonder about this and have heard conflicting stories about what QF is going to do.

I will be happy as long as they leave it alone until February. I will gladly take my chances with Jetconnect over Jetstar anyday.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

I thought you were flying SYD-AKL and AKL-SYD? That would be the last route to suffer jetstarisation given the business traffic and competition.