Seat occupancy lower

[MH_fan]

Low passenger confidence is definitely the primary factor in the low loads. Planning to travel to BNE on Christmas eve on the last flight out of SYD and there are still $99 fares for that flight 3 days out with rewards seats still available and less than 25% of seats allocated (according to EF). In previous years, this flight would have been full and never on sale.

 

[Lynda2475]

12 passengers in J mini cabin on my A330-200 flight to CNS this morning. I nabbed 1F no issues, all window seats taken, makes for nice distancing.

I walked straight on via priority lane, but queue for Y looked lengthy, id say likely pretty full at back of the plane.

 

[Melburnian1]

12 passengers in J mini cabin on my A330-200 flight to CNS this morning. I nabbed 1F no issues, all window seats taken, makes for nice distancing.

I walked straight on via priority lane, but queue for Y looked lengthy, id say likely pretty full at back of the plane.

....unlike two ADL to SYD flights today of which I'm aware, as a friend travelled on one.

At least two J seats were occupied by QF staff.

The first had 90 and the second 88 passengers in whY, so nowhere near full. From looking at seat maps, this is occurring a lot today, at a time of year when not so many years ago, flights would have had higher load factors, except perhaps first thing in the morning.

 

[RichardMEL]

Remember QF tech crew in uniform are entitled to J (if available) to deadhead to their flights. Last week I was on a SYD-MEL and probably 5 tech crew in J including one Captain next to me. Nice bloke told me the trip he had to fly before Christmas.

Point being they are "working" and not just there to fill up space. I think they have a lesser priority when commuting to/from their home port before/after a trip but I can be corrected on that.

 

[TheInsider]

Point being they are "working" and not just there to fill up space. I think they have a lesser priority when commuting to/from their home port before/after a trip but I can be corrected on that.

Nearly all instances of QF mainline pilots and dash pilots will get a J seat where it is for duty travel.
NJS, jetstar, and who ever else, it's Y then upgradable to J.

 

[benjy]

Flew OOL > MEL last night, on 1830 service, only 5 in J, and approx 20 in Economy... needless to say J got looked after quite well

 

[DC3]

Too many flights for the number of people wanting to fly

 

[jakeseven7]

Too many flights for the number of people wanting to fly

That will change soon with all the testing nonsense being thrown out the window, along with casual contacts. People won’t be petrified of getting zapped and stranded everywhere or waiting in 8 hour queues for useless tests. Great news.

 

[Anna]

Unless planes are somehow deemed to be a 'household setting' or an exception to the 4 hour rule, then the new definition of close contact might mean that more people are wanting to fly.

I had been very put off domestic flying by the risk of being thrown into isolation because someone in a nearby row tested positive, but if that's now off the cards I might start booking some domestic flights.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Too many flights for the number of people wanting to fly

This seems to be what I'm experiencing too. I had a flight on BA (Operated by Qantas) from ADL to MEL in a little over a week's time and received this email from them yesterday:


Here's to hoping my QF flight from MEL to SYD on the A330 is still golden, as I look forward to evaluating the J service (and seat) then.

In terms of travelling during this time, I'd argue now is the best time to travel if you want to avoid the COVID crush. With flights having lower occupancy, the risk of catching COVID is lower. At the same time, I suspect many who have the luxury of travelling during this time are enjoying the relatively quiet airport and QF lounges at the moment. I can't comment on what the QF lounges looked like during the Christmas/NYE travel period in prior years but I doubt it was the case that you could have an entire seating section to yourself.

-RooFlyer88

 

[jakeseven7]

Unless planes are somehow deemed to be a 'household setting' or an exception to the 4 hour rule, then the new definition of close contact might mean that more people are wanting to fly.

I had been very put off domestic flying by the risk of being thrown into isolation because someone in a nearby row tested positive, but if that's now off the cards I might start booking some domestic flights.

It’s off the cards. Even Tassie have stopped it. QLD have as well.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

It’s off the cards. Even Tassie have stopped it. QLD have as well.

I think it was becoming expensive for Tassie and QLD to pay for 2 weeks hotel accommodation for every passenger on a flight. How many plane full of passengers could they afford to foot the bill for before they go bust? Never mind the fact the states are spending billions on a testing protocol that is highly ineffective for Omicron, namely PCR. So far I've got 12 trips already booked for 2022, mostly domestic but a couple ultra-long haul domestics to HNL and YYZ. Could there be a new variant that throws a spanner in the works? Absolutely! But you know what, the fares are cheap (I'm paying under $200 for return trips on JQ on a MAX fare), the occupancy is low meaning I get first dibs on the best seats. Lastly, and likely most importantly, we've all been locked down for nearly 2 years now. How long can we afford to stay hunkered in our basements? T&T has taken quite a hit from this pandemic, and I think it's about time we start to show them our love with our wallets!

-RooFlyer88

 

[RichardMEL]

Dunno about tassie but pretty sure QLD hotel quarantine has been at pax cost for quite some time now?

 

[MH_fan]

Tassie is also at pax cost.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Dunno about tassie but pretty sure QLD hotel quarantine has been at pax cost for quite some time now?

Tassie is also at pax cost.

So let me get this straight, I pay for a flight and accommodation, test negative for COVID to these states and yet despite me being negative for COVID, I have to cover quarantine costs should anyone on the flight later test positive for the sniffles? What type of message is that sending travellers? As it presently stands, the only people who can enter Australia right now are Australians citizens/PRs and the limited number of people who hold highly coveted visas (e.g., student visa). No one is coming to Australia right now from North America or Europe for winter holidays due to this arrangement. We could argue about whether this restriction is right or wrong, but one fact is clear: businesses that rely primarily on travel and tourism are hurting really bad. Contrast that with most countries in the world were open to tourists throughout the pandemic, or at the very minimum to vaccinated travellers this year. The only lifeline they have right now, aside from government subsidies which I hear are running out, are Australians who travel interstate to enjoy a vacation without all those pesky foreigners destroying the experience. But the state governments keep giving us tourists very mixed messages.

-RooFlyer88

 

[DC3]

So let me get this straight …

I think that you need a hug.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I think that you need a hug.

I don't need a hug, I just need a streak of trips that don't involve people in biohazard suits approaching me and putting me in quarantine

-RooFlyer88

 

[DC3]

I don't need a hug, I just need a streak of trips that don't involve people in biohazard suits approaching me and putting me in quarantine

Sorry, but hugs are given freely on AFF, with no chance of refusal.

 

[jakeseven7]

So let me get this straight, I pay for a flight and accommodation, test negative for COVID to these states and yet despite me being negative for COVID, I have to cover quarantine costs should anyone on the flight later test positive for the sniffles? What type of message is that sending travellers? As it presently stands, the only people who can enter Australia right now are Australians citizens/PRs and the limited number of people who hold highly coveted visas (e.g., student visa). No one is coming to Australia right now from North America or Europe for winter holidays due to this arrangement. We could argue about whether this restriction is right or wrong, but one fact is clear: businesses that rely primarily on travel and tourism are hurting really bad. Contrast that with most countries in the world were open to tourists throughout the pandemic, or at the very minimum to vaccinated travellers this year. The only lifeline they have right now, aside from government subsidies which I hear are running out, are Australians who travel interstate to enjoy a vacation without all those pesky foreigners destroying the experience. But the state governments keep giving us tourists very mixed messages.

-RooFlyer88

No that’s not correct. They would pay the bill in that scenario where it wasn’t your ‘fault’. But this scenario doesn’t exist anymore thankfully.

 

[Lynda2475]

J cabin full on QF433 SYD-MEL this morning (including 2 QF pilots) and Y looks about 90% full. J lounge at S^D also quite full, wait for coffee was long.