When will QF release their new increased timetables?

[Airbumps]

Hi All,

Apologies if this is being discussed elsewhere but I couldn't find a relevent thread.

QF have been running their current timetable for a few weeks now however there has been increased chatter in the past couple of days about easing of restrictions in various states and from 1 June increased freedoms for people to travel between NSW and VIC (appears every other State in Australia wishes to remain isolated...who knows why QLD wants to be without the tourist dollar from us Victorians...its freezing down here and I'd love to put my money into Cairns or Palm Cove...anyway, I digress).

With that in mind however, QF seems to still only be planning the one daily flight between Melbourne and Sydney (1950 departure..urgh) up until at least last week of June.

Anybody heard any whispers about when a more "frequent" timetable might be released? AJ was in the media the past 24 hours in reference to the requirement to wear masks from 12 June and has said they want to be back at 50% domestic operations by July.

 

[Mattg]

I haven't heard anything yet, but I'm sure Qantas' network planning and revenue management teams are looking into it. If there is ongoing demand, I'm sure they would add flights. I recall AJ saying they would need a week or two of lead time to be able to ramp up their schedules.

Keep in mind that the 1 June announcement was only made a day or two ago.

(There is already some discussion about the opening of regional NSW travel here - Regional travel within NSW permitted from 1 June)

 

[tomlee1986]

I havent heard any news either

 

[Melburnian1]

I haven't heard anything yet, but I'm sure Qantas' network planning and revenue management teams are looking into it. If there is ongoing demand, I'm sure they would add flights. I recall AJ saying they would need a week or two of lead time to be able to ramp up their schedules.

Keep in mind that the 1 June announcement was only made a day or two ago.

(There is already some discussion about the opening of regional NSW travel here - Regional travel within NSW permitted from 1 June)

Mattg, for air travel, businessmen and women often book at short notice because face-to-face meetings arise quickly, and there's little or no time to waste.

But for the more price sensitive leisure market, am I correct to assert that many would tend to book at least three weeks if not a month from the initial journey's proposed travel date, especially if they were booking accommodation in a holiday spot rather than just travelling to see family members, or attending a specific event like a wedding, AFL game or funeral?

It's hard to see planes operating at 85 per cent load factors in the first two or three weeks once domestic flights resume in any meaningful way. It's a different issue from anyone having concerns about flying during coronavirus.

 

[Simo]

Once borders open up and not ISO rules the time table will start to change...

 

[Mattg]

Qantas and Jetstar have released additional flight schedules this morning. This will take their domestic network from 5% to 15% of pre-covid capacity, as of the end of June.

Additional flights will be rolled out progressively over the coming weeks and are already on sale.

According to Qantas:

Details of the additional flights include:

• More services on capital city routes particularly Melbourne-Sydney and a number of routes to-and-from Canberra.
• Increased intra-state flights for Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. Broome, Cairns and Rockhampton to see a significant boost in weekly flights.
• Flights will resume on eight routes not currently being operated.
• Qantas to commence flights from Sydney to Byron Bay (Ballina), after the route launch was postponed due to the Coronavirus.

There's a full list of routes here: Media Releases - Increased domestic network

 

[jakeseven7]

Once borders open up and not ISO rules the time table will start to change...

I have this feeling there is massive pent up demand for travel, I think QF and JQ are going to be smashed with bookings....

Hopefully VA2 sort themselves out as quickly as possible to take advantage of the rebound, as most people will probably still avoid them for a while...

 

[Melburnian1]

I have this feeling there is massive pent up demand for travel, I think QF and JQ are going to be smashed with bookings....

Of course there'll be many wanting to travel, but the difficulty for airlines is that demand may not be exactly what it was a year ago in the same month. They may also find that small business travellers in particular are somewhat more price sensitive given how so many businesses have had (and continue to have) immense difficulties, despite JobKeeper still in place.

If VA is liquidated as I predict, then that will assist QFd's bottom line a lot as the duopoly becomes a monopoly, but even it may discover that above a certain level, there's resistance from some sectors of the market to paying very high fares.

Interesting how there's no rise in MEL or SYD QFd to PER flights, a minimal rise in MEL - ADL QFd flights, still no QFd ADL - SYD and Tasmania omitted but a bit more flying from the east coast up to BNE.

This implies that QF is more confident about the Queensland Premier (who faces an election in September) backing down and lifting interstate border closures than it perceives is the case with SA and WA, and for that matter Tassie.

Still not even a daily flight frequency SYD to Wagga Wagga or Tamworth despite NSW having lifted intrastate travel restrictions.

 

[Melburnian1]

The AFF introduction by Mattg is comprehensive but understates the position in saying 'keep in mind that some state borders are still closed.'

Using 'most' would be accurate since as of 4 June, the Queensland, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian state borders are closed. Premiers are very slow to reopen these. The situation alters about as often as most of us change our underwear, but in the last day or so Tasmania's Premier has been trying to convince South Australia's that an air route between the two should be restiablished to bypass 'unsafe' Victoria as latter is still reporting new coronavirus cases each day (although not many).

The tourism sector continues to scream, especially in Queensland, for reopening of borders while colourful business identity Clive Palmer is launching a court challenge to being denied entry to WA from Qld, while a separate group of six complainants is doing the same re the Queensland closure.

 

[jakeseven7]

Premiers who think airlines are going to open routes that were marginal / didn’t even EXIST pre-corona are just utterly insane if they think the airlines will consider them now (unless underwritten).

Government bureaucrats, seriously... it’s so obvious hardly any of them have worked in commercial private sector roles!

 

[Melburnian1]

Wasn't, jakeseven7 , BNE up to PPP 'marginal?' Or is it OK if one airline can have a monopoly? It's fairly close to other domestic intrastate routes in Queensland, although obviously attractive to anyone bound for Airlie Beach.

 

[justinbrett]

So... when do the lounges open?

 

[Virgin Bart]

So... when do the lounges open?

Good idea for a thread of it's own, I reckon.