Qantas to start flights from Darwin to Singapore

[rigram]

As WP - got call from HBA call centre who advised all flights have been cancelled upto March 2025. Got rebooked - a nice 4hr direct flight is now a 20hr x 3 stopover with new routing SIN-MEL-ADL-DRW....

 

[RichardMEL]

As WP - got call from HBA call centre who advised all flights have been cancelled upto March 2025. Got rebooked - a nice 4hr direct flight is now a 20hr x 3 stopover with new routing SIN-MEL-ADL-DRW....

If revenue.. thats a lot of extra SCs.. though what a crazy reroute!

 

[rigram]

If revenue.. thats a lot of extra SCs.. though what a crazy reroute!

It was Classic Rewards - operator said if it was revenue fare - I could buy SQ direct flight and QF would reimburse the difference.

 

[AIRwin]

operator said if it was revenue fare - I could buy SQ direct flight and QF would reimburse the difference.

@henrus your solution?

 

[jase05]

I could buy SQ direct flight and QF would reimburse the difference.

Ah, yes we will reimburse you when we get around to it

 

[henrus]

@henrus your solution?

Have not been offered this as a solution but I’d take it if offered.

I’m on one ticket booked via Amex and family members are on another booked direct.

I’ve been told take the reroute, credit or refund. At this stage I’m probably going to take the refund and book SQ direct. The difference is about $200 extra per person so it’s not a major deal but just really annoying.

 

[sudoer]

I’ve been told take the reroute, credit or refund. At this stage I’m probably going to take the refund and book SQ direct. The difference is about $200 extra per person so it’s not a major deal but just really annoying.

If it sounds like some agents are offering it as a possibility, HUACA until you get one to book you on another carrier?

That way you get the direct with no out of pocket, can claim ORC, and double dip SQ to KF/VFF

Edit: I misread the part about getting the difference reimbursed... would your travel insurance cover the $200 difference?

 

[henrus]

Edit: I misread the part about getting the difference reimbursed... would your travel insurance cover the $200 difference?

That’s the excess I think… regardless I’m going to go ahead and book the SQ direct and cancel the QF for a refund. Is there a platinum email to send something, otherwise I’m out of ideas.

 

[henrus]

So I've booked the SQ direct, yet to cancel the QF flights. In total it was $207 more per person but I guess that's the price of not flying some crazy route like above.

No joke it's impossible to make complaint online:

 

[drron]

So this is how QF reacts after the discussions with the disaffected.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

QF never interested in international ex-DRW so surprised they would feel so threatened by Royal Brunei flying Brunei-Darwin.

There was a brief period where they tried to establish Darwin as a hub for Jetstar expansion into Asia, using DRW as a scissor-hub for A320 flights from southern capitals to several SEA destinations with a bunch planned (from memory Bali, Singapore, Manila and either coughet or Bangkok). This was also about the time Tiger (SG) had been flying the SGP-DRW route fairly profitably, and this was to be their key inroads and connection to the Australian domestic Tiger operation starting up, plus the NT Government was offering some sweet subsidies at the time.

So while QF was never interested in flying red-tailed metal north out of darwin, they did have a vested interest in 1. Establishing Jetstar as a low cost carrier to Asia, 2. strangling a potential rival in the crib, and 3. most of all in my in my assessment, controlling all long haul international flights out of Darwin, as with no royal Brunei or Tiger(SG) the only way for people to go *anywhere* overseas, would then be to fly 4 hours to one of the southern cities on an exorbitantly overpriced domestic fare ex-DRW, and then connect to an international flight from there (likely watching Darwin pass by approximately 4 hours into your long haul flight to Europe!).

 

[Captain Halliday]

There was a brief period where they tried to establish Darwin as a hub for Jetstar expansion into Asia, using DRW as a scissor-hub for A320 flights from southern capitals to several SEA destinations

I was living in DRW at the time and it was a great plan.

A 90 min flight for a long weekend in Bali for less than the cost of the taxi ride to the airport.

SIN return for well under $200.

Sustainable business model.

I made good use while it lasted.

 

[AIRwin]

Sustainable business model.

DRW's survival of the fittest

 

[henrus]

So an amusing update to all this.

I sent off a request via the QF website saying they didn’t provide acceptable options and that they should reimburse the difference or should have been booking SQ (especially since this cancellation is a commercial decision not to operate due to low loads). In order to send off the request I had to pick options that weren’t entirely correct to allow the form to let me submit a complaint.

I then received a response 2 weeks ago saying basically too bad how sad, we’ve got a published policy and aren’t budging plus that they wouldn’t consider my request to fly BNE-SIN only but were happy to offer DRW-BNE-SIN.

Now I’ve received a response saying that the previous response was sent in error, there was no more to this email so I guess I’ll wait for something more…

Ah QF you never cease to amaze.