Australia is small in many ways but it has a distinctive brand, the national airline should reflect that. Qantas A380 | Qantas AU Along with booth seating and a large flat screen TV, comes the all important self-serve mini bar. Providing commentary for outlets including the BBC, CNBC, Reuters Thomson, and others, she works closely with IATA, AviaDev, and various airlines and suppliers to get the inside track on the global marketplace. Products with rewards and frequent flyer points on offer can be compared using our helpful comparison tables. We have been replacing the bigger aircraft with the 787s. I guess the A380s are not very suitable for freight-only operations. The airline will also extend the range of its A330-200 aircraft in order to operate some trans-Pacific routes such as Brisbane-Los Angeles and Brisbane-San Francisco. PrimeFlight GSE Maintenance is a leading provider of Ground Support Equipment (GSE) maintenance, fleet maintenance, and facility maintenance services with operations across the US. Qantas international flights: Airbus A380 superjumbos to return to Correct - OQB/OQF/OQJ are currently at the QF LAX maintenance facility which only has limited ramp space, which will likely be needed for B787 work when USA services resume. Login now. Thats directed our strategy by saying that we park the A380s.. I know it needs to be viable but I wouldn't be too hasty in ditching the fleet. Like the business suites, these products will also feature seats currently used in Qantas' Dreamliners premium-economy section. If your email is already registered you will have provided it to us previously for one of our events/webcasts/newsletters. We think we will reactivate all of the A380s. OQJ is now back in the country operating QF93. Cloudflare monitors for these errors and automatically investigates the cause. To help support the investigation, you can pull the corresponding error log from your web server and submit it our support team. The 12 A380-800s in Qantas' fleet will undergo refurbishments through . "That will depend on what the recovery scenario looks like. we dont know when the big markets like the US and the UK, which use the A380s, will open, and when, Joyce added. 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View the Airbus A380 seat map (PDF) Earlier, in February, the Qantas chief executive said that it was heartbreaking to see the fleet stored in the Mojave Desert and insisted that curfews and expensive airport slots meant flying them will still be profitable. aircraft dubbed 'Queen of the Skies' by its fans, and which for decades was the backbone of Qantas' international fleet. An easy decision for the airline bean counters. TPG's JT Genter reviewed Qantas' 787-9 business class last year and gave the product high marks. at least with the 6 refurbished examples. Sure not every flight was great, often depending on the crew but I found the comfort level (and wine selection!) Talking point: have you given up on airport WiFi? Some lucky Platinum One members have been offered an 'upgrade' to the First Suites, but the service has been at a Business level. Over the next few years, the Boeing 787-9 will become Qantas' international workhorse "to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, London and Asia," Joyce said. Because there's more to long term storage than what you mentioned. Qantas has outlined its plans for the upcoming peak summer holiday period, including new and resumed routes, and the rostering of larger aircraft. Qantas is bringing back the Airbus A380 and soon. In addition to larger screens and six additional seats in business, the updated aircraft will boast a 1-2-1 layout in business class, with aisle access for every seat. VH-OAH,J,K ARE SHOWING 14F 70B 60PE 341E, WITH the newer stagger business seats. Login now. Find the right card for you. We now have even more details from Executive Traveler on the rollout of the new interiors. They'd spotted this plane doing some laps over Los Angeles in the runup to Saturday's transpacific flight. The biggest overhaul is slated for the business-class product, which will be replaced with the same Business Suite that Qantas currently offers on its Dreamliner flights. Qantas brings back First Class, upgraded A380 superjumbos When flights to London eventually resume, those are expected to run only on the Qantas Boeing 787 between Perth and London, with Singapore downgraded to an end-destination served by Airbus A330s and Boeing 787s. Over the weekend, VH-OQD Fergus McMaster made the journey from storage in California to Sydney, landing back home on Monday morning local time. We all know that Qantas is kicking off its A380 refurbishment with the first upgraded A380 to fly in September, see https://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-a380-refurbishment. I thought they were only using the ones that had the makeover? The carrier has refurbished three. Joyce said that "roughly" one A380 will be redone each month. Qantas has revealed its new Business Class and Premium Economy cabins aboard its A380. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you interact with our community. So we do believe theres a need for that fleet. Qantas confident its fleet of Airbus A380's will return. You don't have credit card details available. The aircraft was delivered to Qantas in December 2011. Six still sport previous generation cabins. Putting in the new seats took too long, are still not on all. 2011 Aviacin al Da. He sang its praises in terms of range and economics too, saying, The 787 is such a good aircraft, it can replace the entire A380 and 747 network in terms of range, with smaller aircraft and unit costs that are even better than an A380.. Cathay Pacific reopens Hong Kongs The Wing Business lounge, Land up to 20% bonus points in Velocitys new transfer promo. And communicating Australia is more important than Nancy Bird Ansett or Longreach. However, you might assume the two would come from the half dozen older yet-to-be refurbished planes. It's not known which two A380s will not return to service. My focus has changed a bit I guess now concentrating on leisure rather than business travel. The airline had previously stated that while it was committed to retaining its A380 fleet, the four-engined jets were unlikely to return to service until 2023. The first refurbished A380 will start flying at the end of September and three more will take to the air by the end of the year. Airlines; . Qantas hasn't released details of the A380's premium economy seat pitch but they have said the A380 would have the same premium economy seat pitch as the Boeing 787, and that's the real concern. My god Levinn there doesn't seem to be much about Qantas that you like? More bums on seats equal more dollars in Qantas pockets. Qantas plans to reactivate 10 of its 12 Airbus A380s, 3 Passengers Escorted Off Jetstar Flight Following Violent Encounter, 1st Asia Route: WestJet Begins Calgary To Tokyo Boeing 787 Flights, Eithad Airways Unveils New Boeing 787 Dreamliner Seats, Jet2 Signs Airbus A330-200 Wet Lease Deal To Meet Summer Demand, The World's Longest Dash 8 Q400 Routes Is Longer Than 4 Hours, Los Angeles International Will Become The World's 2nd Most Diverse Airbus A380 Airport. Travel onboard the A380 is just so superior to alternatives and I will be now be looking at Emirates for our regular trips to Switzerland & UK particularly as EK will be introducing PE next year. Further, as of today there is significant talk that a selection of vaccines will be available within 6-12 months. Makes sense if they are scrapping the older ones. The thrice-weekly flights are a stop-gap measure to solve a problem caused by out-of-action 787-9 Dreamliner crews. "There is a potential to bring all 12 (A380s) back (into service), but there is a potential to bring less than 12 back," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce told Executive Traveller on May 5, when he announced the review. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas entire fleet of twelve A380s? After being parked for nearly two years, the Australian carrier will once again be flying the popular superjumbo on its flight between Sydney (SYD) and Los Angeles (LAX) starting on Jan. 11. Sorry about the rant but Qantas needs to free itself from its traditions and brand itself better. Qantas Airbus A380 refurbishment schedule - Executive Traveller community discussion. To unlock all Australian Aviation magazine content and again unlimited access to our daily news and features, become a member today. Qantas has announced it will return five of its 12 Airbus A380s to service ahead of schedule, as it prepares for international borders to re-open in December. This loss shows the impact that a full year of closed international borders and more than 330 days of domestic travel restrictions had on the national carrier, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said. The work is primarily done at an Airbus facility in Dresden. There's plenty of dry flat land, a railway and a major highway at the front door, plenty of vacant accommodation, an airport with flights to Adelaide every few hours just 70km away, a dry climate and most importantly, plenty of security. That's according to Executive Traveler (formerly Australian Business Traveler), which sat down with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce for the latest details. Give your Qantas hate a spell mate. American, United and Delta are consistent for their inconsistencies. Qantas will ground its entire flagship Airbus A380 fleet until at least the middle of 2023as the airline comes to grips with what's expected to be a prolonged downturn in international travel. It is too Australian, for customers who are primarily not actually Australian. The aircraft was delivered to Qantas in December 2011. all rights reserved, China issues report that Boeing sees as key to restart 737 MAX deliveries, ANA sells tickets up to 20 times cheaper due to an error in its website, Avolon completes delivery of 15 Airbus A320neo to Vistara, Boeing says 11 Chinese airlines have resumed operating 737 MAX. The oldest Qantas A380 is VH-OQANancy Bird Walton, which arrived at Qantas in September 2008. My problem is that Qantas seriously tries too hard to be Australian when it comes off as unauthentic. The next two oldest A380s are Hudson Fysh and VH-OQC Paul McGinness, both of which landed at Qantas in December 2008. Qantas to bring sixth refurbished A380 out of storage Its been 10 months since Qantas sent its A380s to the Mojave Desert for long-term storage. With about five weeks to go, VH-OQI should be the next refurbished A380 set to fly around the end of October. Absolutely. 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As a result Qantas is bringing back a sixth refurbished A380 superjumbo into operation from the middle of this month, "providing more operational resilience over the busy Christmas holidays".. Absolutely fabulous - layout, space, comfort 1-2-1. The aircraft are located close to key maintenance bases, which means reactivation can be brought forward rapidly, if demand trends suddenly upwards. parties. When Qantas began ferrying its 12 A380s to the Mojave Desert for storage last June, many thought it would be the last time wed see the type fly for the Australian airline. Qantas needs a proper luxury brand designer (maybe Oroton)? It's all about survival for Qantas but the A380 is/was simply unsurpassed experience wise. Its also worth noting that time of the year is one of the busiest times for international flights in and out of Australia. Lead Journalist - Southwest Pacific -.A Masters level education and appetite for travel combine to make Andrew an incredible aviation brain with decades of insight behind him. Keep it simple, a la Delta, and speak with that cheerful accent that communicates Australia to one and all. It is not that significant. The flights typically comprise a loop out southwest towards the Wingecarribee area before turning back towards Sydney, running out over the Royal National Park, and going out to sea before heading back into the airport. Same with QF, as soon as you board it feels Australian. Resend one to yourself here. The first of Qantas' refurbished Airbus A380s will begin flying in September, with the remaining 11 A380s in the carrier's fleet set to be overhauled through the end of this year and next. Enjoy your QF flights, Robert R, the A380 is a joy to fly on! A degree of common sense and seasonality makes approximating the delivery schedule roughly feasible, but trying to establish the sequence of aircraft being refurbished is a fools errand. Qantas News Room They are so good. Thursday, 09 Jun 2022, 02:30:06 pm. The airline is also reinstating services between Australia and New Zealand, projecting a re-start of the currently paused trans-Tasman travel bubble, also in December. The refurbishment will fit the cabin out with a compelling business class and a large premium economy cabin. You can scrap them at Alice Springs as well. The level of confidence Joyce is showing in the A380 is heartwarming, given the lack of support the giant jumbo is receiving in other quarters. Already have an Executive Traveller account? I believe OQI is currently in Dresden so also closer to US than AU. Even the non-refurbed Business in the A380 is fine, but the refurb is fabulous! Check here before booking an award fare. Compare a range of products that will provide rewards and benefits to frequent flyers. Signing up with Executive Traveller only takes a second and lets you Its also worth noting that time of the year is one of the busiest times for international flights in and out of Australia. Back in October, Australian airline Qantas announced it would undertake a massive project to refit its fleet of 12 Airbus A380 jumbo jets with new interiors. We have reconfigured six of them with brand new product onboards. The Airbus A380 has failed to win the confidence of many other operators, including Air France, which brought forward the aircrafts retirement early because of the pandemic. Qantas A380 refurb schedule, Executive Traveller is published by Business Travel Media Pty Ltd, a corporate authorised credit representative (#515763) of MGS FINANCIAL PTY LIMITED (#337568). The carrier will also roster larger A330 aircraft onto flights between Sydney and Bali between December 5 and January 26, replacing the current B737s serving the route. As an engineer the plane is inheritably unstable and placing rotational forces on the wings that no previous 737 has had to encounter. Qantas plans to fly the Airbus A380 3x weekly between Sydney (SYD) and Los Angeles (LAX) as of January 11, 2022. Scuttlebutt several days ago was that it would be VH-OQL, named. Absolutely idea. The problem, and this has been identified by AusBT and pretty much every Boeing 787 passenger, is that the seats are too close together, which means really cramped conditions without a lot of legroom. The airline is also winding up its Boeing 747 fleet, marking a fanfare-free end for theaircraft dubbed 'Queen of the Skies' by its fans, and which for decades was the backbone of Qantas' international fleet. Joyce said, If demand comes back earlier, we can reactivate the A380s within three to six months. I always base my international flying provider based on the highest comfort ad services first, hence those flying an A380 to my destination get first byte of my dollars. Qantas hasn't released details of the A380's premium economy seat pitch but they have said the A380 would have the same premium economy seat pitch as the Boeing 787, and that's the real concern. "We're parking the A380s for at least three years," Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce confirmed to media during a press teleconference following the announcement of a sweeping three-year 'post-Covid recovery . Qantas loyalty bonus: should you choose points or status? If it's BOEING 737 Max I suggest you will have the entire plane to yourself. . I also don't like the tail and the use of kangaroo anymore. Emirates, which is by far the largest operator of the A380, however, remains committed to the plane, as does British Airways which has no plans to retire its fleet ahead of schedule. If it ain't Boeing I ain't going ". It's not known which two A380s will not return to service. The final section of the new all-premium upper deck will feature 60 premium-economy seats. The Mandarin names are messed up and do not convey that it is an Australia airline. Qantas Reactivates Its Second Airbus A380 - simpleflying.com Exclusive: Qantas takes delivery of new 787 after 2-year delay, RAAF streamlines training for new recruits, AucklandBeijing flights to finally return, Leonardo Australia wins AS9110 certification, Baltik Air takes on Malaysia Airlines on AdelaideKuala Lumpur, Cracks that caused wing to break off biplane were hidden, Qantas A380s was flown from storage at LAX to a facility in Dresden, International borders to open in December, says Qantas. A sad day for passengers. Etihad Airways has also said it will likely never fly the A380 again, while Singapore Airlines will retire seven of its A380s. Login here. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit, Executive Traveler (formerly Australian Business Traveler), Business Suite that Qantas currently offers on its Dreamliner flights, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. As some other commentators had said in previous forums, the video is more about making us feel good about ourselves but does nothing to attract or gain loyalty with overseas clients, of which those from Asia will prefer Asian based airlines on the basis of in flight service rather than just being patriotic to their own homegrown airlines. A Qantas A380 flew to Abu Dhabi on Monday after spending several weeks in Los Angeles. Therell be more than a few passengers booked on QF2 around that date keeping an eye on the seat plan. At the time, the airline didn't think they would be . If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. Since the middle of last week, that plane has made multiple take-off and landings from Sydney Airport. The upgrades to the rest of the fleet are set to be finished by the end of 2020. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. 10 years of constant use does create some wear and tear. Now Flying: Qantas' Refurbished A380 - One Mile at a Time A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans. There are two maintenance facilities being used for refurbishments, including one in Abu Dhabi. The airline said this involves some technical changes to be finalised with Airbus. Loved by Emirates By far. Excellent. How long will it take to refurbish Qantas' entire fleet of twelve A380s? I hope that demand will allow QF to recommence A380 ops. Even Qatar if they bring theirs back. 787 and 330 into Asia much better. On refurbished A380 aircraft, the Premium Economy cabin has 60 seats in a 2-3-2 layout. To describe the updated look in one word, let's try "debeigified". If you have not received the activation email, simply enter your email address below, then click 'Submit'. The thrice-weekly service departs Sydney as flight . VH-OQB will depart Sydney and operate QF11 to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening. The unrefurbished VH-OQB had been doing the SYD-LAX sector for some months, but departed for Abu Dhabi on 10th May for maintenance or refurbishment. Once demand is there, theyre going to be good aircraft, Joyce told a CAPA Live virtual conference last Wednesday. Scuttlebutt several days ago was that it would be VH-OQL, named Phyllis Arnott. With its full-length double deck, the A380 offers almost 6,000 square feet of usable floor space, about 40% more than the second largest airliner, the Boeing 747-8. The staff are magnificent, the food spectacular, the comfort superb. Joyce, however, remained optimistic that rapid vaccination rollouts in the USA and UK both of which are key markets for Qantas would help the airline restart regularly scheduled international flights by the end of the year.