Qantas Trans Tasman from MEL

[bossreggie]

I have noticed MEL - AKL seems to be getting mostly 737-400's at the moment. I hate these old planes so it means I have had to change a couple of my bookings to go via SYD.

VERY inconvenient and adds extra time to my travel.

Does anyone know why this is happening and if so when we may see some newer planes back on this route?

 

[anat0l]

Why this is happening? Beats me.

My guess is that MEL-AKL is a mug's market compared to SYD-AKL. QF don't have enough new 738s to serve SYD-AKL along with MEL-AKL let alone BNE-AKL. I think it's also reflective of the relative capacity as well (since you get more pax onto a 738 compared to a 734).

I don't usually mind the 734s, though. They are hardy planes and yes you can clearly see the age, but as long as I can get row 4 in Y or an upgrade to a Millennium seat in J, I'm alright for 3 hours. I haven't tried the new 738s with new seats yet.

When will we see more 738s? I doubt in the near future. Trans-Tasman market is becoming more of a mugs game and with NZ shifting to Seats to Suit (because "the leisure market is increasing"), thus deepening the chasm of LCC-ness, unless there is a strategic shake-up on the market or a sharp incident in the Jetconnect fleet I don't think QF will be scrambling quickly to get the next set of 738s for this route.

When it comes down to it, if you want a newer plane with J to cross the Tasman from MEL direct, your only choices really are NZ (the long haul tag flight) or EK.

 

[samh004]

Don’t forget that JQ will be flying from MEL to ZQN and I guess a few other sport soon, so it really seems like they’re pushing everything over to JQ. That wouldn’t affect aircraft of course, but the route could be on its way out.

 

[bossreggie]

I have literally flown this route over 100 times and I very rarely see an empty plane. I have flown with QF and EK and both airlines seem to get pretty good capacity.

I will fly with Air New Zealand a few times from now on. I will maintain WP with QANTAS but then I will direct my spend elsewhere.

 

[oz_mark]

There are more 738's due next year, but as to where they will be deployed, I guess, is the question. They may replace some more NZ services, or they may replace some domestic 734's.

 

[anat0l]

Don’t forget that JQ will be flying from MEL to ZQN and I guess a few other sport soon, so it really seems like they’re pushing everything over to JQ. That wouldn’t affect aircraft of course, but the route could be on its way out.

QF will probably guarantee (for the near future, maybe in the (very) long term perhaps not) that all AKL flights will be flown with QF metal. IMHO AKL will always have a good revenue stream until possibly the leisure market explodes on the Trans-Tasman, which I would be surprised if it did happen.

Everywhere else is pretty much mugs market.

Places like ZQN don't tend to be a centre for anyone but leisure travelers (i.e. not enough business pax to sustain a full QF metal flight at all times), although QF seasonally operates to ZQN, probably to take advantage of the rush (and thus any suckers who couldn't book the LCCs early enough and can't find the capacity on them).

 

[anat0l]

I have literally flown this route over 100 times and I very rarely see an empty plane. I have flown with QF and EK and both airlines seem to get pretty good capacity.

The plane won't be empty, but is it full to the brim? My experience with QF133, the last flight of the day MEL-AKL, is that it rarely is not full to the brim. Loading is probably 80%ish. Exceptions might be due to the rugby or something like that.

Also, if QF can fill a 734, there's no guarantee it could fill a 738 of ~20 extra seats. Although there's a lot more complex calculations related to the costs there.

 

[tuapekastar]

I have noticed MEL - AKL seems to be getting mostly 737-400's at the moment. I hate these old planes so it means I have had to change a couple of my bookings to go via SYD.

VERY inconvenient and adds extra time to my travel.

Does anyone know why this is happening and if so when we may see some newer planes back on this route?

bossreggie, which flight(s) are you looking at. In my experience (I haven't flown it as much as you but know which flights I prefer based on getting a 738) there are:

MEL-AKL
QF25 ~0600 operated by Jetconnect 738 (with seatback IFE)
QF131 ~1600 operated by Jetconnect 738 (with seatback IFE)
QF133 ~1800 operated by Jetconnect 734 (mainscreen IFE)

AKL-MEL
QF132 ~0600 operated by Jetconnect 734 (mainscreen IFE)
QF26 ~1300 operated by Jetconnect 738 (with seatback IFE)
QF134 ~2100 operated by Jetconnect 738 (with seatback IFE)

...and IME they are very consistently like this (weekdays anyway), though substitutions can always happen. Maybe your preferred flying time coincides with the 734 flights - for MEL-AKL at least (or you have just copped a lot of substitutions)?

Wherever possible I go MEL-AKL on QF131 (though not this time - I'm typing from AKL Flounge waiting for the return) - I had to take QF133 on a 734 for the trip over here.

 

[samh004]

Places like ZQN don't tend to be a centre for anyone but leisure travelers (i.e. not enough business pax to sustain a full QF metal flight at all times), although QF seasonally operates to ZQN, probably to take advantage of the rush (and thus any suckers who couldn't book the LCCs early enough and can't find the capacity on them).

Last QF flight I took to ZQN was packed, and most probably book it because they can take skis and others equipment with them for less than on JQ.

Lately I’ve taken just my clothes and left the skis so perhaps I’d consider JQ in the future, but QF have always been very good to me TT.

 

[bossreggie]

bossreggie, which flight(s) are you looking at. In my experience (I haven't flown it as much as you but know which flights I prefer based on getting a 738)

I'm looking at the flights you mentioned. Usually there have been 2 738 flights per day. I\The Later one MEL-AKL has been a 734.

I was looking at a few flights over the next couple of weeks.... Also in January and I was getting 734's.

Maybe it is something temporary??

 

[serfty]

Personally I prefer the millennium equipped 734's over the 73H's due to the very ordinary new fangled seating. I can bring my own IFE rather than used the DVD's.

Note that for AirNZ business class from MEL you are going to have to fly the daily mid morning departure 777/744/763's (and the 8am return flights).

 

[anat0l]

Note that for AirNZ business class from MEL you are going to have to fly the daily mid morning departure 777/744/763's (and the 8am return flights).

Do the 763 NZ services still have true J service or J seats with Seats to Suit?

The long haul services, I assume, still offer true J service.

 

[serfty]

Do the 763 NZ services still have true J service or J seats with Seats to Suit?

The long haul services, I assume, still offer true J service.

The 763 still have the Business seats. Not lay flat - more millennium style.

 

[tuapekastar]

I'm looking at the flights you mentioned. Usually there have been 2 738 flights per day. I\The Later one MEL-AKL has been a 734.

I was looking at a few flights over the next couple of weeks.... Also in January and I was getting 734's.

Maybe it is something temporary??

Could well be - I had just checked a few dates in Jan/Feb to make sure my memory hadn't failed me on the pattern, but there may well be some temporary changes for whatever reason. Can't shed any light on that I'm afraid.

 

[anat0l]

The 763 still have the Business seats. Not lay flat - more millennium style.

So they still have the J hard product, but what of the soft product? Is it true J or Seats to Suit?

 

[Aussie_flyer]

So they still have the J hard product, but what of the soft product? Is it true J or Seats to Suit?

It is true J. Any flight numbers in the 700s is the seats to suit thing, any NZ100 series numbers are full service business class flights.