Qantas's weak international network

[lucas2019]

No, you won't be asked Rangoon. QF didn't even service any part of Myanmar (or Burma). I'm going to ask why they terminated Fukuoka? I did a little surfing on the Net and found A photo of a QF 743 in Nalanji Dreaming landing in Fukuoka in 1999. Does anyone know why they terminated Fukuoka?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

No, you won't be asked Rangoon. QF didn't even service any part of Myanmar (or Burma). I'm going to ask why they terminated Fukuoka? I did a little surfing on the Net and found A photo of a QF 743 in Nalanji Dreaming landing in Fukuoka in 1999. Does anyone know why they terminated Fukuoka?

Every route that has been terminated has the same reason. There was a better use of aircraft to fly another route (more profitable) and there wasn't enough money in the route to warrant buying or leasing a new aircraft to service it.

The lack of profit is due to one of several underlying reasons, but all centre around lack of passengers willing to pay the fare Qantas wanted. This could be because other airlines had better planes, better service, better flight times, or more frequent flight times

 

[dajop]

No, you won't be asked Rangoon. QF didn't even service any part of Myanmar (or Burma).

If you go back far enough into history I think you’ll find they did.

 

[Quickstatus]

Im not sure those reason are accurate or completely explains why the airline no longer operates there.

Some additional but incomplete observations

EZE: no more dangerous than JNB. SCL is just a better choice as their partner LATAM operates from there into most of South America
VIE: traffic to/from the multiple European cities (not just VIE) is not substantial enough to sustain a regular return flight to/from any one or more of those cities.
IKA, KHI: same as VIE, some geopolitical consideration as well, plus security as well
DAM: flights would have stopped any way due to the war
DXB: why fly into DXB when EK can codeshare all the way from most Australian ports into most european/middle east/african cities
KUL: same as VIE, (even MH is unable to sustain an A380 or B747, the route being primarily a LCC route)

Now based on recent history, QF actively looks at viable routes, and now that the 787 is on place, some long thin routes may now be viable.
The rigorous culling of uneconomic routes probably saved the airline as well. Holding on to romantic notions of the past would have sunk the airline a long time ago.

And remember that Australia does not have a large enough population to be able to operate flights to anywhere in the world. Probably one reason it cant also do a Shinkansen style of travel

 

[Quickstatus]

If you go back far enough into history I think you’ll find they did.

Probably using the Super Constellations.
Qf used to do RTW in the Connies as well - one on the Kangaroo route westwards and one on the Southern Cross route eastwards . Took about a week.
Back then there was tourist class and champagne class. Tourists class cabin was at the front of the aircraft.

But back then the fares were a lot more than what they are today. Most who are romanticising about this would not be able to fly in one.

 

[dajop]

And remember that Australia does not have a large enough population to be able to operate flights to anywhere in the world.

In addition, most of these destinations are not served by anyone from the major hubs of SIN & HKG either (i.e. EZE, VIE, IKA, KHI, DAM), so - with the geographic exception of EZE (closer to SYD), if CX or SQ aren't going to serve such ports profitably, it's a long stretch of the imagination to think QF could!

 

[GoldCanyon340]

I seem to remember flying QF3 SYD-HNL-SFO then home on QF12 LAX-PPT-SYD, but that must have been early 80s.

QF3 via HNL was still being operated in the early 90’s

Maybe until 1996 if my memory is correct.

 

[Quickstatus]

I think the 747-300 had a little less range than the current 747-400 let alone the ER. And the 743 also carried more passenger - I believe about 480 passengers in J and Y compared with today’s 353 in a F,J,W,Y.

Apparently there were 2 Y seats (near the current 3EF) in the nose section which has the J seats on the 3class 744.

Going west as QF1 on the 743 used to be MEL-SYD-SIN-BAH-LHR

 

[Dennis Colquitt]

Yes + they didn’t need to stop enroute to Europe. Feeling like a broken record here.

OP could also do some research on Google. For example Calcutta (Kolkata) has under recent rule gone from the jewel in the crown of British East India (the buildings there are quite grand ... albeit delapidated) to the poorest of India’s 6 biggest cities.

I wonder if we’ll be asked about Rangoon next? And if so, must take a history lesson first.

Just returned from a 4 day visit to Yangon aka Rangoon. Was on a cruise ship. Tourist conditions not too favourable, although the people are really nice. Roads are awful.

 

[Dennis Colquitt]

No, you won't be asked Rangoon. QF didn't even service any part of Myanmar (or Burma). I'm going to ask why they terminated Fukuoka? I did a little surfing on the Net and found A photo of a QF 743 in Nalanji Dreaming landing in Fukuoka in 1999. Does anyone know why they terminated Fukuoka?

Never mind Lucas, you missed out on hairy landings in Kai Tak HKG in the good old days too.

 

[Quickstatus]

No, you won't be asked Rangoon. QF didn't even service any part of Myanmar (or Burma). I'm going to ask why they terminated Fukuoka? I did a little surfing on the Net and found A photo of a QF 743 in Nalanji Dreaming landing in Fukuoka in 1999. Does anyone know why they terminated Fukuoka?

Used to be an AO route.
Qantas absorbed AO and took over the CNS-cough (no, not a typo). I believe it was usually operated by the QF 767-300ER. But assume that from time to time the 747-338 was used as well.

Back in the 90's QF used to do a lot of internediate stop itineries.

Such as:
SYD-MEL-DPS-BKK
BNE-SYD-MNL-BNE

But realistically what do people expect for a country with a population of 25 million, high wages, high costs, no natural airline hub, a south pacific location, and more or less an open skies policy with intense competition from other airlines.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think the 747-300 had a little less range than the current 747-400 let alone the ER. And the 743 also carried more passenger - I believe about 480 passengers in J and Y compared with today’s 353 in a F,J,W,Y.

Apparently there were 2 Y seats (near the current 3EF) in the nose section which has the J seats on the 3class 744.

Going west as QF1 on the 743 used to be MEL-SYD-SIN-BAH-LHR

The 743 was originally three class. But would have had a much higher density business class (standard recliner or perhaps even dreamtime seats?)

in three class config i think it had the range from SIN to Europe.

 

[AIRwin]

in three class config i think it had the range from SIN to Europe.

Yes I remember the B743s used to operate between MEL and FCO via BKK...

 

[Quickstatus]

The 743 was originally three class. But would have had a much higher density business class (standard recliner or perhaps even dreamtime seats?)

in three class config i think it had the range from SIN to Europe.

SIN-LHR and transpacific was a stretch
And so by necessity relatively shorter sectors. At the time, I don’t think there were even lie flats on any airline.

Sort of...it was a lot shorter. I recall comparing a -300 plan with a -400 plan in Singapore one day. Same flight..and about 15% difference in burn.

That's just a configuration choice. You could put the old 300 config in a 400, and have the same load. The -400 would still go a long way further. It was quite a different aircraft.

I recall flying a 300 to LA from Sydney...but only the once. And not back direct. Not only was the -300 thirstier per hour, but its take off weight was in the order of 20 tonnes less than the -400. Singapore to London would have been possible at times, but again the limited T/O weight would have been a problem.

 

[Quickstatus]

And even a junior SO in the “GOD (good ol days” could expect a diverse operational experience:

As a very junior SO, a SINGLE roster could include OZ, Singapore, Bangkok, Rome, Athens, London, Bahrain, Frankfurt, HK, Honolulu,

 

[MEL_Traveller]

FCO via BKK...

That sounds better (rather than SIN-LHR). BKK-FCO would have been about 10 hours.

 

[wandering_fred]

And more recently (for awhile) Qantas decided PER was not a useful international starting point.


I wonder what happened to the "fascination" of QF with connecting Australia to SE Asia?

I am also wandering
Fred