QF's COVID-19 minimal network schedule

[Melburnian1]

That should be "QF asks pilots to go on leave without pay" instead?

I didn't write the headline. Good pickup.

Does '(between) the devil and the deep blue sea?' or 'Hobson's choice' come to mind?

 

[sudoer]

Just got a cancellation notice for a SYD-ZQN return in mid October. From a brief look on EF it seems Qantas have cancelled all NZ routes until 25 Oct (was previously Sep I believe)

 

[oz_mark]

Just got a cancellation notice for a SYD-ZQN return in mid October. From a brief look on EF it seems Qantas have cancelled all NZ routes until 25 Oct (was previously Sep I believe)

Yes - New Zealand has joined the rest of the world

All scheduled international flights, including flights between Australia and New Zealand, are suspended until at least the end of October 2020, due to government restrictions.

Qantas International network changes | Qantas

View information on our latest International network changes.

www.qantas.com

 

[sudoer]

Yes - New Zealand has joined the rest of the world

I thought ROW was confirmed cancelled until March 2021?

 

[oz_mark]

I thought ROW was confirmed cancelled until March 2021?

Just pulled from sale at this point.

Because the situation is constantly evolving and may change rapidly, we haven't made a decision to cancel international flights after October 2020.

 

[Melburnian1]

Only one SYD - MEL QFd flight operated on Thursday 23 July 2020.

Normally at a guess there'd be roughly 37 on a Thursday.

Truth is stranger...

 

[Melburnian1]

On Wednesday 29 July 2020 at about 1200 'high noon', the Queensland Premier announced that Sydneysiders (including I assume anyone visiting) would be barred from Queensland in an escalation of border travel bans.

I have updated the QF 'delays/cancellations' thread. QF (and VA) have each cancelled an early evening flight. On top of that, QFd isn't even operating an 'own metal' SYD to MEL southbound flight today. Extraordinary once upon a time, but now we just shrug our shoulders.

Expect more flights to be cancelled close to departure date given that fewer passengers will be able to travel on the BNE - SYD - BNE route.

 

[BD1959]

According to IATA, Australia's domestic load factor fell 93.8% year-on-year for June - the worst figure for any domestic network.

Makes you wonder how sustainable even a skeleton service is.

Regards,

BD

 

[Melburnian1]

According to IATA, Australia's domestic load factor fell 93.8% year-on-year for June - the worst figure for any domestic network.

Makes you wonder how sustainable even a skeleton service is.

For the size of our 25 million population, we have a large (and previously well patronised) domestic network. There's no high speed rail (yet) to compete against, and distances are large, so we can't compare the much bigger Oz domestic air network to say Argentina or Spain's. Maybe Canada, certainly mainland China, perhaps India and definitely United States are the ones to compare us against.

As one of our aviators on AFF commented, 'you're (as in 'we are') basically watching the airlines go broke.'

Even if load factors and fares per seat are high (the former which I'm not sure about - one small example was a friend who flew last week SYD - CFS on a Q400 turboprop who said the flight was 50 per cent full with the first two rows having a QF staff member in uniform in each), all the domestic airlines of any size have a large number of aircraft either stabled or on reduced utilisation.

Plus, of course, no international passenger flights by QFi or the much smaller VAi 2.0.

The QF CEO has said the extension of JobKeeper to March 2021 is very helpful. True, but it cannot continue to infinity, so eventually all airlines have to address how to manage what all are predicting which is reduced demand in 2021.

Forecasts can be wrong, but unfortunately thus far if anything they've tended to be too optimistic. I doubt two weeks ago that QF/VA/JQ managements would have thought Queensland would today ban Sydneysiders today from entering the Sunshine State effective from 0100 hours on Saturday 1 August 2020.

That sort of decision - without warning - throws transport providers into chaos. Now they all have the cost of paying passengers refunds for bookings that cannot be honoured. A nightmare if you ask me.

 

[Saab34]

This latest banning of Sydney Metro Pax is
just another nail in the financial coffin. What an absolute nightmare.

I wonder how long that will drag on. Probably 4-8 weeks.

I was sort of planning for a November open borders, and beginning of domestic back to normal domestic travel. Looking unlikely as time drags on.

Hopefully like SARS it starts to die off. I think we are still 2-3 months away from the early signs that that occurring.

 

[Melburnian1]

...Hopefully like SARS it starts to die off. I think we are still 2-3 months away from the early signs that that occurring.

Hopefully as individuals we can be robust and cope with this uncertainty, but for those in any form of passenger transport who introduce/design/implement schedules, and the staff who operate the schedules, far harder to cope.

One wonders how many livelihoods this decision from Saturday 0100 will destroy in Queensland.

First Victorians - 20 per cent of visitors to that Cairns Skyrail attraction as a media report stated - and now Sydneysiders, who must be another 15 per cent - banned.

How can any business (or contractor/employee) plan their lives with this sort of 'stop/start' mentality from the State Premiers?

Some 'emerging' economies around the world may be worse off, and I feel and pray for them and their peoples, but we're a supposedly developed economy yet seem to be operating like a series of colonies prior to 1901's Federation.

 

[Saab34]

Qantas Group would surely be looking at some form of equity raising going forward.

Another two months with Sydney cut off that’s only a few hundred million bucks.

 

[Melburnian1]

Qantas Group would surely be looking at some form of equity raising going forward.

Another two months with Sydney cut off that’s only a few hundred million bucks.

I don't disagree but its Share Purchase Plan had the closing date extended to 5 August 2020, supposedly to allow for postal delays. So it's already raising capital.

 

[Melburnian1]

This won't be any solace to those of us unable to travel, or who lose their jobs because of State border bans, but it's just appeared on 'The Australian' website so here a small extract:

'Border closures offer “minimal additional protection” against COVID-19 infection, according to an infectious diseases expert giving evidence on the third day of Clive Palmer’s Federal Court bid to tear down Western Australia’s hard border.

Professor Peter Collignon was giving evidence under tough questioning from principal legal advisor to WA’s Attorney General, Joshua Thomson.

Mr Palmer claims the McGowan government’s hard border stance is unconstitutional because it restricts the free movement of Australians across the country...'

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

Reduction cuts were immediate on QLD services. BNE and OOL flight cancellations and reductions have been implemented.

 

[Melburnian1]

On Friday 31 July 2020, QFd is only operating four domestic flights from Melbourne Airport.

The first is QF2281 at 0820 down to LST; the last QF478 at 1800 hours up to SYD. So almost a 'business hours only' schedule on a Friday!

The other two to make the grade are QF2150 to CBR mid morning with a 1030 hours pushback scheduled, and QF2080 to MQL in Victoria at 1210 hours.

So three turboprops and one presumably A333, the Sydney-bound flight.

Words fail me.

 

[justinbrett]

JQ have pulled the second daily BNE-NTL flight which was due to start 01 Aug. Back to single daily flights with an early departure out of BNE making weekend trips ex-NTL quite unattractive.

A little concerning considering Newcastle/Hunter isn’t included in the ban. I assume their data indicates all flying is drying up.

 

[PineappleSkip]

one presumably A333, the Sydney-bound flight

A333 seems implausible, FR24 reckons it will be a 737.

Drove empty roads in central and north west NSW last week, to the tune of Gladys on the radio saying ‘avoid travel’ along with the ACT health minister. And AP saying ‘avoid NSW’, extending the hotspot list regularly, and indicating another border closure might happen any time. I’m not surprised that there isn’t much demand for travel to Qld ex-Hunter.

cheers skip

 

[Melburnian1]

JQ have pulled the second daily BNE-NTL flight which was due to start 01 Aug. Back to single daily flights with an early departure out of BNE making weekend trips ex-NTL quite unattractive.

A little concerning considering Newcastle/Hunter isn’t included in the ban. I assume their data indicates all flying is drying up.

So much negativity from the state Premiers (especially Queensland and Victoria) and media headlines/electronic segments that you'd wonder why those who can would travel anywhere.

Not much publicity about it but in many areas - cities plus rural - accommodation proprietors must be still experiencing poor occupancy rates (unless they're hooked in to some State Govt quarantine program). Car rental firms would also be taking a hit.

 

[PineappleSkip]

My hotel experience was ‘patchy’. Sydney was very quiet, no overseas tourists; big difference. Wollongong seemed pretty busy on the weekend - safe and close to Sydney but they told me it was only average on Sunday. Motelier in Cowra was a shattered man. He was just trying to get off the floor with a bit of hope during school holidays, but that was wrecked with cancellations after the renewed ‘don’t travel’ messaging, and he was pretty up front about bankruptcy as soon as the normal insolvent trading rules kicked back in. Not what a customer expects to hear, but this poor guy was so low he just didn’t seem to care. We said all we could do was keep travelling as much as we could. Meanwhile Goondiwindi was booked out. No special event, just roadworks, police and travellers like us racing for the border in case of some new restrictions being bunged on. Places like Goondi came into existence because of borders.

cheers skip