QF's COVID-19 minimal network schedule

[jakeseven7]

Will be interesting to see how many PER flights QF can load on for Dec 8.....

Will they wake up some more widebodies now?

 

[Melburnian1]

Will be interesting to see how many PER flights QF can load on for Dec 8.....

Will they wake up some more widebodies now?

I hadn't read it but Melbourne AFFer serfty - always reliable - said that elsewhere on AFF (assume in the pilots' forum) there's discussion as to how many pilots/FOs etc. are not 'current' and hence require simulator or other training before they can operate flights. This is a limiting factor as to how many trips the airlines can schedule each day, although despite Mr Joyce's hype there's little doubt demand is also down compared with the same day a year ago.

We briefly discussed the A332s above that remain, AFAIK, stabled. I'm guessing QFd's initial priority is to get more 738s in the air (assuming sufficient demand) as it avoids the complexities of not having many A332 flight crew 'current'.

 

[dajop]

On a big day for Victorians (and Sydneysiders) who can again travel over the Queensland state border (as can Banana Benders visiting these southerly locations), Tuesday 1 December 2020, QFd is still only operating a total of 29 flights ex MEL, a few of which (about five) are only turboprops.

Given all state borders are now 'open' except WA, this isn't many.

Yet they have 32 Jetstar flights departing. How does that compare to usual times? This probably reflects a distinct lack of business travel + the direction QF wants to take the group overall.

The group overall has 28 departures to SYD today, 13 of them on JQ.

 

[Melburnian1]

Yet they have 32 Jetstar flights departing. How does that compare to usual times? This probably reflects a distinct lack of business travel + the direction QF wants to take the group overall.

The group overall has 28 departures to SYD today, 13 of them on JQ.

dajop, this won't be totally accurate as I never recorded it but from memory on a typical weekday JQd 'used to have' about 15 to 20 departures from MEL to SYD. As a guide, a typical non-weekend flight frequency for all three operators a year ago was c.75 each way: QFd might have had 36, JQd 15-20 and VAd 15-25.

You'd think in early December in a 'normal year' (apologies for that: you may be sick of such phrases), 'road warriors' among businessmen and women would still mostly be travelling. Individuals working from home in Melbourne's case make it more difficult in 2020 for say Sydneysiders to visit their colleagues or clients for meetings unless they enjoy doing it over lunch or in a cafe.

Does QF really want to 'take the Group' in the direction you suggest? Businessmen who travel at short notice (they have to) and pay pretty much top dollar must be airlines' most lucrative passenger subsector despite the unarguably higher cost per available seat kilometre of operating a legacy airline not an LCC. JQ makes good profits but to do so it has to carry many passengers.

 

[milehighclub]

We briefly discussed the A332s above that remain, AFAIK, stabled. I'm guessing QFd's initial priority is to get more 738s in the air (assuming sufficient demand) as it avoids the complexities of not having many A332 flight crew 'current'.

330 pilots operate on both. There isn't a separate crew for the 333 or 332 so I suspect there is probably a decent number of crew with recency to get a few extra 330 into the network without too much hassle, given that nine 330 have been flying for months.

 

[jakeseven7]

Have heard from my contact at QF that there will be an announcement about a change in QFLink equipment and flights into Tasmania shortly..... to respond to strong demand in Tas and other regional routes....

 

[AIRwin]

Have heard from my contact at QF that there will be an announcement about a change in QFLink equipment and flights into Tasmania shortly..... to respond to strong demand in Tas and other regional routes....

A380?

 

[jakeseven7]

A380?

Correct, 4 times daily into DPO. Requires emergency slide to get off.

 

[pauly7]

Have heard from my contact at QF that there will be an announcement about a change in QFLink equipment and flights into Tasmania shortly..... to respond to strong demand in Tas and other regional routes....

This piqued my interest as I have a lot of travel booked in and out of Tasmania.

Called my friend in QF and yes you are right they are reshuffling equipment around the network to respond to the demand going up.

Lonny is being upgauged from Q400 operations to all 717 operations - about a 10% increase in total seat capacity from pre-covid schedules early new year. So they will be running 717 ops from both MEL and SYD into LST now. Probably also picking up slack from Virgin 2 who has really scaled back their Tassie flying very dramatically.

I checked my forward bookings and pleasingly the night time flight out of MEL has returned and the early AM flight out of LST is back on, they are overnighting a 717 in Lonny to do this. I called QF and got myself moved around at no charge as well

So good news for Tassie and for business flyers as some business friendly slots have reappeared.

Wonder where the Q400s are being redeployed.

 

[Melburnian1]

This piqued my interest as I have a lot of travel booked in and out of Tasmania.

Called my friend in QF and yes you are right they are reshuffling equipment around the network to respond to the demand going up.

Lonny is being upgauged from Q400 operations to all 717 operations - about a 10% increase in total seat capacity from pre-covid schedules early new year. So they will be running 717 ops from both MEL and SYD into LST now. Probably also picking up slack from Virgin 2 who has really scaled back their Tassie flying very dramatically.

I checked my forward bookings and pleasingly the night time flight out of MEL has returned and the early AM flight out of LST is back on, they are overnighting a 717 in Lonny to do this. I called QF and got myself moved around at no charge as well

So good news for Tassie and for business flyers as some business friendly slots have reappeared.

Wonder where the Q400s are being redeployed.

While it was when Cobham Aviation operated for QFd in and out of Tassie - IIRC this is no longer the case - at that time, the 717s were plagued with all sorts of problems. Punctuality was pathetic. I hope for your sake it's better in the future.

VA publicly commented that it did not make coin on the Tasmanian routes (although that was true on not just there). This accounts for the VA 2.0 reduction in flying to and from there.

 

[Melburnian1]

Due to one person with the virus in Sydney, WA Premier Mark McGowan is saying he'll make an announcement over the weekend.

This may lead to a delay in the planned reopening of the WA border to NSW and Victorian residents (i.e. without any need to quarantine for a fortnight).

Some including me may not agree with Mr Joyce on everything, or many things, but in his describing this sort of reaction as wrong, he's on the ball.

It's a virus. We can't eliminate it, but Premiers (except for NSW) want to pretend they as saviours can.

How can any business (including airlines) plan and operate with certainty if there's this stop-start mentality. WA may be affluent due to the iron ore price shooting skywards but we are a Federation not some colonialist backwater as we were in 1899.

 

[dajop]

It's a virus. We can't eliminate it, but Premiers (except for NSW) want to pretend they as saviours can.

To be fair, the Victorian Premier never says it's eliminated (others do) . We all get sick of him endlessly saying this thing is not gone, we always have to be careful, this thing's not gone, all Victorians have worked so hard, not's let this thing get hold again. I don't know how many times I've heard that, or similar, even after 30+ days. Also recognised that re-opened quarantine still has risks.

Qld, WA and Tas have been the most irrational (or rational, depending on point of view?) premiers, although in Tas, the tune seems to have changed recently.

 

[pauly7]

While it was when Cobham Aviation operated for QFd in and out of Tassie - IIRC this is no longer the case - at that time, the 717s were plagued with all sorts of problems. Punctuality was pathetic. I hope for your sake it's better in the future.

VA publicly commented that it did not make coin on the Tasmanian routes (although that was true on not just there). This accounts for the VA 2.0 reduction in flying to and from there.

Yes they stretched the 717 fleet much too thinly back then and was compounded by the fact they didn’t have a base in Melbourne either. Resulted in some patchy schedule performance for a bit which they had to quickly plug with 738’s into HBA but that’s all history now.

Now there are 8 717s (From memory) based in Melbourne under QLink ops now they’ve been brought across from west / QLD to service SE Australia.

QF announced that the SYD-LST trial has performed very well so they’ve extended the route operations until at least Oct 2021, which now puts the real capacity increase from QF into LST at about +25% v pre covid schedule which is enormous for a regional route like Lonny.

They are clearly picking up alot of the ex Virgin 1 passengers. And yes it’s public knowledge - that Virgin have always struggled to ‘make coin’ in Tassie.

Lots of thin and seasonal routes - that have business and international connections that demand certain connection times but put it in direct conflict with the fluctuating volume of seasonal travellers which are low yielding - a peak worst nightmare for schedulers when you just have heavy 737s to send down there... and JQ is there too keeping your prices right down....

 

[Melburnian1]

I've highlighted in the QF cancellations/delays thread how on Tuesday 8 December 2020, with five northbounds cancelled, the number of QFd MEL - SYD 'own metal' flights has dropped to 16. This is a very big reduction from what would have been the case a year ago on a similar Tuesday, even though it's typically the quietest weekday for air travel (as I am told it is for supermarket visits). In that other thread, I suggested some reasons why the drop so won't repeat them here.

 

[oz_mark]

If you look at the timetables carefully, you'll find a smattering of trans-con flights using 787s over the next week.

 

[milehighclub]

If you look at the timetables carefully, you'll find a smattering of trans-con flights using 787s over the next week.

And great for International cabin crew, as this gives them work. Crew could elect to do non charter, non quarantine flying and this will be covered by them.

 

[Melburnian1]

And great for International cabin crew, as this gives them work. Crew could elect to do non charter, non quarantine flying and this will be covered by them.

Hopefully "great for you too", mile.

 

[piperlance]

QF International flights.
I have read that QF has suspended all international flights - but that doesn't seem quite right. I noticed QF83 heading into Hong Kong yesterday, and when I check on the QantasSource site, I note that there are a number of international flights (PVG, NRT, HKG etc.) I hope this isn't a stupid question - but it seems unlikely that these are all cargo flights, when they're being flown by the normal passenger fleet.
Can anyone fill me in?

 

[sudoer]

I noticed QF83 heading into Hong Kong yesterday, and when I check on the QantasSource site, I note that there are a number of international flights (PVG, NRT, HKG etc.) I hope this isn't a stupid question - but it seems unlikely that these are all cargo flights, when they're being flown by the normal passenger fleet.
Can anyone fill me in?

They are freight:

International Freight Assistance Mechanism

The International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM) is providing additional support for Australian producers seeking to export their premium goods into key global markets.

freight.qantas.com

 

[Melburnian1]

While I've not gone through every route - I never downloaded a previous timetable, and years have passed since these were available in hardcopy in the days when timetables weren't nearly so dynamic - but the Sydney - Canberra route must be the sector that on a comparative basis, pre-COVID in December 2019 to today has suffered the deepest cuts by QFd (and VAd).

Melbourne - Canberra and Brisbane - Canberra would be next I'd guess.