Qantas to expand Asia services and rejig US services from April 2016

[Melburnian1]

A lot of new routes, irrespective of the airline, take six months plus to determine if they are viable as regards passenger loadings.

One fly in the ointment is that it has been publicly reported that yields per available seat are down for not just QFi but other airlines. Scoot has fairly recently begun flying to MEL so that has also increased the number of available seats on the MEL - SIN - MEL route, which from observation using SQ carries a lot of connecting passengers to or from Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and so on.

QF may carry a higher percentage of point-to-point ('OD') passengers, which may place it at a bit of a disadvantage.

 

[Pleb Status]

J could be full of award/upgrade pax, so this may not be a good indication of actual J demand (QF would know the actual numbers of course).

With limited onwards (full service) connections in SIN, QF are going to struggle against SQ with connecting traffic. If you are a SIN local, there is very little incentive to fly QF over SQ, unless all your flying is to Australia.

 

[soorox]

Yes I have seen a few reports where loads were quite dismal for QF37/38 - definitely "lie flat economy for everyone", however loads are picking up from this month, flights have only operated for 1 month~ so lets wait and see. It's also important to mention that alot of new capacity has been added in May this year compared to May 2015;

- Scoot new x5 weekly 788 service
- Emirates up-gauge to A380
- Qantas new x3 weekly A330 service

 

[Awesom Andy]

Yes I have seen a few reports where loads were quite dismal for QF37/38 - definitely "lie flat economy for everyone", however loads are picking up from this month, flights have only operated for 1 month~ so lets wait and see. It's also important to mention that alot of new capacity has been added in May this year compared to May 2015;

- Scoot new x5 weekly 788 service
- Emirates up-gauge to A380
- Qantas new x3 weekly A330 service

I think the loads for QF117/118 wasn't all that flash when it first started either, which I guess it's the most recent like-for-like comparison.

Although looking at the loads towards the end of the Victoria school holidays, QF38 still have class S available coming back to MEL at the end of the school holidays period, and comparing to the tickets buckets available for other flights, it appears that QF38 has the lightest load.

 

[dajop]

They had a campaign not long ago for the new A330 seats. Took out the decorations at the small Orchard MRT tunnel near ION as well. Although if my colleagues are to judge, they still seem to relate QF to exploding engines (QF32) and poor services, and they would either save money with Scoot, or pay more with SQ.

Yes there's definitely a reputation for poor service. I avoid Orchard, so I guess I wouldn't see that. But they often miss out on simple email marketing to existing members, eg. only accidentally became aware that you can now transfer Citibank PM to QF when reviewing what hotel partners Citibank have, a simple email to SG based members might help ... (mind you would never transfer to QFF @ 1:1 when I could transfer to Krisflyer at same rate).

 

[Awesom Andy]

Yes there's definitely a reputation for poor service. I avoid Orchard, so I guess I wouldn't see that. But they often miss out on simple email marketing to existing members, eg. only accidentally became aware that you can now transfer Citibank PM to QF when reviewing what hotel partners Citibank have, a simple email to SG based members might help ... (mind you would never transfer to QFF @ 1:1 when I could transfer to Krisflyer at same rate).

I have that card too, and I had no idea...

 

[hutch]

They had a campaign not long ago for the new A330 seats. Took out the decorations at the small Orchard MRT tunnel near ION as well. Although if my colleagues are to judge, they still seem to relate QF to exploding engines (QF32) and poor services, and they would either save money with Scoot, or pay more with SQ.

Fair enough on the poor services, that's a opinion they are entitled too... but the QF32 is an interesting one. I always look at QF32 as an example of QF doing really well under difficult circumstances.

It's not like SQ has an unblemished record.

 

[Awesom Andy]

Fair enough on the poor services, that's a opinion they are entitled too... but the QF32 is an interesting one. I always look at QF32 as an example of QF doing really well under difficult circumstances.

It's not like SQ has an unblemished record.

QF32 is well publicized, and the populace isn't really into the details of it apart from the engine blew up.

And then, virtually all of SQ's mishaps are well hidden.

e.g. If I start talking about how a couple of years ago, an SQ flight crew didn't follow altitude restrictions because they didn't read the charts/information properly, and then did not comply with a TCAS resolution advisory, people would look at me blankly.

Over the past 5 years, they've also had at least the below incidents:
* 3 runway excursions (plus 1 more if you include freighters),
* dropped aircraft parts on 2 occasions,
* rammed an aerobridge in SYD

But of course, most people don't know better.

 

[Melburnian1]

Fair enough on the poor services, that's a opinion they are entitled too.

That wouldn't be an opinion held by just Singaporeans. On frequency between SIN and MEL (twice or better than that for SQ compared to QF, omitting EK, JQ and Scoot) and an arguably generally more passenger-friendly attitude from the SQ staff, SQ wins hands down.

 

[moa999]

Fair enough on the poor services, that's a opinion they are entitled too... but the QF32 is an interesting one. I always look at QF32 as an example of QF doing really well .

And one where SQ did not ground it's A380 fleet while waiting for the cause to be found -- with a similar defect present on a number of its RR engines.

 

[hutch]

That wouldn't be an opinion held by just Singaporeans. On frequency between SIN and MEL (twice or better than that for SQ compared to QF, omitting EK, JQ and Scoot) and an arguably generally more passenger-friendly attitude from the SQ staff, SQ wins hands down.

Wasn't really arguing that SQ doesn't offer great service. But they also have a whole bunch of old product out there still... those A330 still flying to MEL? Anyway, QF shouldn't be trying to compete with SQ for frequency to SIN, it would be pretty stupid.

SQ great airline. But not perfect.

 

[hutch]

QF32 is well publicized, and the populace isn't really into the details of it apart from the engine blew up.

And then, virtually all of SQ's mishaps are well hidden.

e.g. If I start talking about how a couple of years ago, an SQ flight crew didn't follow altitude restrictions because they didn't read the charts/information properly, and then did not comply with a TCAS resolution advisory, people would look at me blankly.

Over the past 5 years, they've also had at least the below incidents:
* 3 runway excursions (plus 1 more if you include freighters),
* dropped aircraft parts on 2 occasions,
* rammed an aerobridge in SYD

But of course, most people don't know better.

True true, which is kind of coughpy considering really.

SQ6 and Silkair. Getting a bit old now, but still well in my lifetime.

 

[Pleb Status]

Something happened at BKK and VH-OJH a while back did it not......

 

[hutch]

Something happened at BKK and VH-OJH a while back did it not......

Yep QF1, which was definately within the realm of QF to prevent

 

[Awesom Andy]

SQ6 and Silkair. Getting a bit old now, but still well in my lifetime.

I thought of those as well but realised the list would be too long to count if I was to go back that far. I don't think QF ran off the tarmac, pretended to be bombers, or failed parking tests in the last 5 years? *touch wood* Although they did set off a ground proximity warning once.

 

[hutch]

I thought of those as well but realised the list would be too long to count if I was to go back that far. I don't think QF ran off the tarmac, pretended to be bombers, or failed parking tests in the last 5 years? *touch wood* Although they did set off a ground proximity warning once.

I think it'd be tough to find an airline that doesn't have some issues. But I guess I was just highlighting that I found it odd for Singaporeans to raise concerns about QF's safety... to me, that is one of QF's strengths.

Anyway, I've gone slightly off topic. Sorry.

But since this thread was about QF expansion in Asia; with the recent developments with Virgin and the apparent need to reduce capacity domestically, I'm hopeful to see some more QF A330's into Asia.

 

[soorox]

Wasn't really arguing that SQ doesn't offer great service. But they also have a whole bunch of old product out there still... those A330 still flying to MEL? Anyway, QF shouldn't be trying to compete with SQ for frequency to SIN, it would be pretty stupid.

SQ great airline. But not perfect.

At the moment SQ are flying the following aircraft to MEL; all have the long haul 1-2-1 J product; SQ207/208 does not have first but the other 3 flights do; SQ227/228 currently receives the latest 77W's with the new products. You wont see any Regional J here in MEL!

SQ207/208: 77E
SQ217/218: 77W
SQ227/228: 77W (new product)
SQ237/238: 77W

I feel like SQ service could be abit robotic at times, however with QF there are your hit and misses, but for the majority of the time I encounter great crew who seem to love their job!