QF9 / QF10 Perth

[Ricicles]

Apologies if this has already been covered somewhere else but over the weekend I was looking for flights to London in November and couldn’t find the direct QF9 Dreamliner from Melbourne to London via Perth.
I flew up to Tokyo today and mentioned it to the friendly cabin crew manager and she said that it was going to be a standard domestic flight going forward from Melbourne to Perth and then pick up the QF9 in Perth. (Same on the way back as QF10) and this is because of the new Paris route and not enough Dreamliners to have the complete Melbourne to Heathrow route on a Dreamliner as today.
I wondered what this meant if you were leaving from Melbourne in the future - no international lounge access I’m guessing if it’s a domestic flight and then a check in process in Perth to move from domestic to International.
It’s suddenly become a less attractive route for me … unless I’ve missed something … I may be back to Singapore routing again …

 

[oz_mark]

Twas announced late last year that QF9/10 would lose the MEL-PER sector from July.
Yes, you'll just have the domestic lounge in MEL...

 

[Ricicles]

Twas announced late last year that QF9/10 would lose the MEL-PER sector from July.
Yes, you'll just have the domestic lounge in MEL...

Sadly I must have been dozing when that was announced … what a bummer. Back to Singapore routing for me

 

[TeaKozy]

Was a great domestic service also - delay’s weren’t a worry when in the FLounge. Do wonder why they couldn’t just use a domestic tag for the Paris service rather than nixing the Melbourne flight instead…

 

[Ricicles]

Ah well one last hurrah in June Mel Heathrow and back via Sing in July! I’ve enjoyed that routing …

 

[Daver6]

I wondered what this meant if you were leaving from Melbourne in the future - no international lounge access I’m guessing if it’s a domestic flight and then a check in process in Perth to move from domestic to International.

There would be no extra check-in process in Perth. You'd just get off the domestic flight and move to the international lounge, clearing customs and immigration in Perth. It's basically the same building and customs and immigration is way quicker in PER than MEL.

 

[levelnine]

All the more reason to fly another airline to/from Europe imo.

 

[Himeno]

Do wonder why they couldn’t just use a domestic tag for the Paris service rather than nixing the Melbourne flight instead…

I agree. Even if they don't have the time for the 787 to do the MEL-PER sectors after the CDG route starts, they could just shift one of the already existing MEL-PER flights to fly as the domestic legs of QF9/10.

 

[jb747]

This was always a terrible way to program the flights. The 9/10 should have remained either Melbourne/Singapore/London, or alternatively Melbourne/Dubai/London. The flights ex Perth should always have been stand alone, as they appear to have become.

 

[TheInsider]

All the more reason to fly another airline to/from Europe imo.

Why? Because you can't use the international terminal in MEL?

 

[Quickstatus]

Basically QF has significantly downgraded its LHR services from a double A380 from the East coast, to a A380 from the east coast and 787 from the west coast.

Even if they don't have the time for the 787 to do the MEL-PER sectors after the CDG route starts, they could just shift one of the already existing MEL-PER flights to fly as the domestic legs of QF9/10.

Or the ex-illustrious leader could have paid for the regular aircraft heavy checks and retained VH-OQF and VH-OQI and maintained MEL-LHR via SIN

 

[opusman]

This was always a terrible way to program the flights. The 9/10 should have remained either Melbourne/Singapore/London, or alternatively Melbourne/Dubai/London. The flights ex Perth should always have been stand alone, as they appear to have become.

Would they have had enough passengers as a standalone PER-LHR flight rather than nominally starting from the east coast?

 

[Himeno]

Basically QF has significantly downgraded its LHR services from a double A380 from the East coast, to a A380 from the east coast and 787 from the west coast.

Is a double daily A380 a downgrade for 4 daily 747s?

 

[Quickstatus]

Why? Because you can't use the international terminal in MEL?

Why pay top prices and then be relegated to a standard domestic A330/737 service + international 787 service when you can fly with another airline and get international service and widebody aircraft the entire way.
Why go to PER when you can go to SIN. The options for the passenger are so much better when you replace PER with SIN

Is a double daily A380 a downgrade for 4 daily 747s?

Yes it is. QF has been culling seats on that route for years. Same for the transpacific

 

[levelnine]

Why? Because you can't use the international terminal in MEL?

Superior lounge, superior on board product (domestic catering MEL-PER-MEL), superior aircraft, no risk of being subbed to a 737 etc etc etc

 

[RichardMEL]

This was always a terrible way to program the flights. The 9/10 should have remained either Melbourne/Singapore/London, or alternatively Melbourne/Dubai/London. The flights ex Perth should always have been stand alone, as they appear to have become.

I suspect a couple of factors here.

1 LHR slots (QF only still has the 2xarrival/departure)
2. Aircraft availability
3. Potentially demand ex-MEL that can be catered via either QF35/37 to SIN-QF1 or via SYD and dom to PER tgen QF9.

DXB is an interesting one, though suspect EK services that well and truly via codeshare - and is a very convenient way for QF to get a lot of capacity into.LHR(and many other spots) without the cost(plus the slot issue). I also suspect pax prefer EK in every class to QF

I guess that QF apparently does very well on PER-LHR alone is very interesting and wareants that service viability - plus FCO and shortly CDG. I reckon competition is far more out of MEL for one stop to LHR vs nonstop from PER where QF is the only game in town.

 

[RichardMEL]

Would they have had enough passengers as a standalone PER-LHR flight rather than nominally starting from the east coast?

QF think they do. We know PER has a large expat population, and there are those who prefer a stop in PER vs Asia or ME3.

Remember also those in MEL/ADL still obviously have PER as an option - just not the through service. For those not at the pointy end and without lounge consuderations etc, it's probably far less of a concern (but price probably is... )

 

[Quickstatus]

QF only still has the 2xarrival/departure

Are they still leasing 2 to BA?

 

[Daver6]

Basically QF has significantly downgraded its LHR services from a double A380 from the East coast, to a A380 from the east coast and 787 from the west coast.

Depends where you sit. Living in PER, the LHR has been upgraded.

 

[RichardMEL]

Are they still leasing 2 to BA?

Hmm forgot about that. Dunno