Qantas to fly to Delhi from Sydney & Melbourne

[astrosly]

The Qantas points/status credits earning table has been updated, with Delhi added.

https://www.qantas.com/us/en/frequent-flyer/earn-points/airline-earning-tables/qantas-and-jetstar-earning-tables.html

SYD-DEL is 40 SCs for Economy Sale, 50 SCs for Economy Saver and 75 SCs for Economy Flex. 150-165 SC for Business class, depending on fare class.

As far as I can tell, there is no specific earning category for DRW-DEL so it would be 30-60 SC in Y and 120-140 SC in J based on the "all other flights" table.

thanks @Mattg, so pitched roughly mid-way between earn for North/South East Asia and Dubai across all categories.

The Classic Reward table hasn't been updated yet for those with Points Club so I'm guessing the earn on these flights would be 28 SCs for economy and 60 SCs for business based on this pattern.

 

[Ade]

The website doesn't show the SC/points yet for the bookings ...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Well the more I thought about it, the merits of a connection to BA is the overnight stopover and a brief but memorable Indian experience (considering most Australians have not and probably will never go to India otherwise). I certainly really enjoyed mine.

Except for the whole visa thing

 

[SeatBackForward]

Except for the whole visa thing

There was talk that Australia would be added to a "Visa upon Arrival" in India. I Haven't followed this up at all.

 

[Jacques Vert]

I've been to DEL and Northern India and would happily do so again. I can see a stopover in DEL then connecting to Europe via EK, QR or AY. BA...not so much; still haven't forgiven them for loosing my bags (again).

 

[somebol]

There was talk that Australia would be added to a "Visa upon Arrival" in India. I Haven't followed this up at all.

There was a "eVisa" at selected ports of entry to India. This was suspended due to COVID, but it should be back once India opens up fully.

 

[justinbrett]

Except for the whole visa thing

Well it's a lot better than when I went - you needed a visa stamp. We had to send our passports down to the Indian High Commission in Canberra via courier (no in person option being in Darwin) and had to allow quite a long time. We were sweating on getting them back in time for our trip.

At least now it's online.

 

[jpp42]

This may be a good segment for upgrades - after Jet Airways failed and I started flying the CX codeshares to get to India, I got quite a few op-up's to Y+ on the HKG-India legs. It seems Indian routes can be low on premium seat yield.

 

[jpp42]

Also, because of the connections and the booking, often times, not being on the same PNR, luggage becomes an issue in domestic connections. When QF had partnership with 9W, I was able to get all the legs in the same PNR, but I don't think that's possible anymore with any Indian airline.

It seems the only domestic Indian airline that might entertain through-ticketing and baggage from QF would be Vistara, which has its hub in DEL so would be an ideal choice. Unfortunately they are part-owned by SIA, so I expect that would put the kibosh on any such agreement? Air India is awful for many reasons and as a *A member I assume would also not be interested, although I guess that doesn't totally rule it out? (QF has plenty of interlining on UA in the US for example).

I agree with others that the value proposition for south India is poor connecting through DEL. If they had chosen BOM, you could kind of get away with it for some passengers, but for trips to MAA or BLR, I would probably continue to use SIN/KUL or even HKG for my business travel, if it gets up again.

 

[TheInsider]

It seems the only domestic Indian airline that might entertain through-ticketing and baggage from QF would be Vistara, which has its hub in DEL so would be an ideal choice. Unfortunately they are part-owned by SIA, so I expect that would put the kibosh on any such agreement?

Interline agreements have nothing to do with airline owners (for specific airlines) and more to do with commercial arrangements. You'd need to get a travel agent to book that as a connecting flight anyway it seems.

 

[Ade]

I got quite a few op-up's to Y+ on the HKG-India legs

My experience is the same I'd say as OWE I got upgraded to Y+ on at least 60% of my flights on both directions. HKG-MAA or MAA-HKG.

I have never got the upgrade at check-in, but always at the gate. Sometimes I ask at the check if if there are any seats for upgrade and they usually say "the load is very light today, so the chances are less", but when I get to the gate ... that's where the magic happens

It's a great feeling when they scan the BP and it makes a sound and the red light flashes on the scanner and the LED reads "Seating Error" ... that's when you know you are being upgraded

It seems Indian routes can be low on premium seat yield.

I'd say that's true ... I have seen on HKG-MAA route, the J seats are free on a lot of occasions ... simply because, the Y load is super heavy and overbooked, so those with CX status, OW status and Flex Y tickets holder get upgraded to Y+, leaving very little pax in J (those that have bought a J ticket or those with Flex Y+/status got upgraded as a result of the Y overbooking)

 

[justinbrett]

It seems the only domestic Indian airline that might entertain through-ticketing and baggage from QF would be Vistara, which has its hub in DEL so would be an ideal choice. Unfortunately they are part-owned by SIA, so I expect that would put the kibosh on any such agreement? Air India is awful for many reasons and as a *A member I assume would also not be interested, although I guess that doesn't totally rule it out? (QF has plenty of interlining on UA in the US for example).

I agree with others that the value proposition for south India is poor connecting through DEL. If they had chosen BOM, you could kind of get away with it for some passengers, but for trips to MAA or BLR, I would probably continue to use SIN/KUL or even HKG for my business travel, if it gets up again.

QF has an interline agreement with AI already.

QF has stacks of relationships with airlines in other alliances. In this example of I > D, no airline is going to say no to that. Of course, AI needs someone to connect their pax in Australia, so it's win/win (same as the QF/NZ deal).

If this was an ongoing thing I would assume QF would seek a codeshare on the major routes to BOM etc, but I think we all know this is a short lived thing.

 

[jpp42]

It's a great feeling when they scan the BP and it makes a sound and the red light flashes on the scanner and the LED reads "Seating Error" ... that's when you know you are being upgraded

Incidentally my best op-op as OWE was on UL from CMB-MEL (ex-MAA), went all the way to J (maybe they don't have Y+?). This was my last flight out of India before Covid hit worldwide - I had rebooked that way to avoid HKG as my employer was concerned it was too close to China. It was full of Australian expats fleeing home on the cheapest fares and J had a grand total of three pax - I didn't ask if they were all upgrades.

Incidentally I have never had an op-up on QF in about four years of pre-covid WP status. But maybe there's a chance on this SYD-DEL route, I will try to give it a go, once we can travel to India again (assuming it happens before end of 2022, not sure I will manage to keep WP past that).

 

[Ade]

went all the way to J (maybe they don't have Y+?)

Yea UL does not have any Y+ cabin

Incidentally I have never had an op-up on QF in about four years of pre-covid WP status.

Me either, but admitedly I was only WP for the past 3 years or so ... But I have success in points upgrade between SYD-HKG (J), HKG-SYD (Y+) and a few more domestic ones, especially when flying with a friend or a colleague, I try and get at least one of us upgraded (ideally, both of us)

But maybe there's a chance on this SYD-DEL route,

I hope so too I know that once this route is launched, depending on the timing and position of the already travel hungry market, there will be overbookings, so the chance of an op-up to J is on the cards. But we also have to understand that for at least year from now, there will be some sudden cancellations from the pax end (due to CoVID tests coming back as +ve or sudden spike in cases in SYD or DEL etc etc), which could then mean, light loads in Y and hence no need for an op-up to J.

Also, QF would want to reduce their points liability so will reduce the # of op-ups and instead ask pax to request for an upgrade using their points ... QF would send out email after booking the SYD-DEL route prompting the pax to request for a points upgrade.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Air India is awful for many ALL reasons

Let me Fix that for you.

 

[jakeseven7]

Let me Fix that for you.

The name isn’t bad though

 

[SeatBackForward]

The name isn’t bad though

They've just been privatised, and have neem 100% acquired by the gigantic industrial Tata Group. I would find it ironic if the name of the new airline was "Tata Air India", as in "bye bye" Air India.

The privately run airlines in India are not that bad to be honest, so hopefully some commercial interest rather than treating Air India as an opportunity for Nepotism might be a good thing for everyone.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Let me Fix that for you.

They're not *that* bad. Their dreamliners are ok in terms of business class product, and on the 12 or so hour flight to DEL from MEL they did their job for sleeping. The champagne was cold, the food was tasty enough, and the crew were fine.

 

[SeatBackForward]

They're not *that* bad. Their dreamliners are ok in terms of business class product, and on the 12 or so hour flight to DEL from MEL they did their job for sleeping. The champagne was cold, the food was tasty enough, and the crew were fine.

Did they (the whole J cabin crew) sleep until you arrived at the gate in the spare J seats after collecting the first meal service. Yep that's ONE of the incidents I've had with them.

 

[jase05]

Did they (the whole J cabin crew) sleep until you arrived at the gate in the spare J seats after collecting the first meal service. Yep that's ONE of the incidents I've had with them.

Only had one long haul flight with them and they were quite fine, certainly nowhere near the worst we have experienced. Maybe we got them on a good day but seat was comfortable, food was a pretty decent standard and drinks were cold and plentiful